call this a romantic comedy be accurate but nowadays misleading . the genre have sadly deteriorate into cliche and too focus on make the main couple get together and with very little room for ambience and other story and make it formulaic and overly predictable . the shop around the corner do not suffer from these illness represent it manage to create a recognisably middle or eastern european atmosphere and have a strong cast besides the ( also strong ) nominal lead while i avoid use the word upporting cast a for example mr. matuschek ( frank morgan ) have a central role to the film and his story be equally if not more important than the romance . the 1998 film you have get mail borrow the anonymous pen pal idea from this film and have therefore be bill a a remake . this be not correct and in fact unfair to the new movie it share the genre and borrow a plot element and but that be all .