Directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, “The Shop Around the Corner” is set in Depression-era Budapest, Hungary, before World War II. Set in a leather goods/gift shop called Matuschek & Company, run by Hugo Matuschek. Starting as a charismatic and rather desperate young woman, begging the clerk Alfred Kralik, played by James Stewart, to help her get a job at the shop, Klara Novak proved her skills as a saleswoman and secured a position under Mr. Kralik. 

Hostility between the two was immediate, and the underlying romantic tension was palpable. All the while, both Mr Kralik and Miss Novak had fallen in love with an anonymous pen pal, completely ignorant of the fact that they were writing letters to each other. All the while, there are conflicts in management in the store. The boss, Mr Matuschek, suspected his wife of having an affair, and after she gushed over Mr Kralik as a young and handsome gentleman, Mr Matuschek narrowed his suspicions, whether warranted or not [I’m not spoiling that:)], to Mr Kralik. 

The banter was witty, the characters were well developed, and the plot was fascinating. The enemies-to-lovers love story, in which they fell in love anonymously as pen pals, was phenomenal. This film had so many tropes/elements I can’t help but swoon over in romances, including enemies-to-lovers where the hostility masks misplaced attraction, her fainting and his rescuing her, workplace romance, longing and pining, hidden identity, anonymous love letters, miscommunication, and more. 

This plot is very similar to the plot of Nora Ephron’s classic “You’ve Got Mail, except set in a different era. The recommendation for “You’ve Got Mail” is as follows: You’ve Got Mail. And although I love “You’ve Got Mail”, as a personal preference, I adore this film even more for its clever, witty banter, its plot, and its well-developed supporting characters. I find it very similar in the feeling it gives the audience to “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which makes sense due to the fact that James Stewart plays the main male character in both films. The film is inspired by a Hungarian play by Miklós László called Parfumerie, which merits its own separate recommendation. Still, it is safe to say the play is certainly worth watching or reading if one loves The Shop Around the Corner or You’ve Got Mail. And, of course, this recommendation would not be complete without an emphasis on how much I personally adored the references to classical literature, such as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. This film is one of my favorites to watch around Christmas, and I would highly recommend it.