the shop around the corner be one of the sweet and most feel good romantic comedy ever make . there just no get around that and and it hard to actually put one feeling for this film into word . it not one of those film that try too hard and nor do it come up with the odd possible scenario to get the two protagonist together in the end . in fact and all it charm be innate and contain within the character and the setting and the plot . which be highly believable to boot . it easy to think that such a love story and as beautiful a any other ever tell and could happen to you . a feeling you do not often get from other romantic comedy and however sweet and heart warm they may be . alfred kralik ( james stewart ) and clara novak ( margaret sullavan ) do not have the most auspicious of first meeting when she arrive in the shop ( matuschek and co. ) he be work in for the past nine year and ask for a job . they clash from the very beginning and mostly over a cigarette box that play music when it open he think it a ludicrous idea while she make one big sell of it and get hire . their bickering take them through the next six month and even a they both ( unconsciously and of course . ) fall in love with each other when they share their soul and mind in letter pass through po box 237. this would be a pretty thin plotline to base an entire film on and except that the shop around the corner be expertly flesh out with a brilliant supporting cast make up of entirely engage character and from the fatherly but lonely hugo matuschek ( frank morgan ) himself and who learn that his shop really be his home while pirovitch ( felix bressart ) and kralik sidekick and friend who always skitter out of the room when face with the possibility of be ask for his honest opinion while smarmy pimp du jour vadas ( joseph schildkraut ) who ultimately get his comeuppance from a gloriously righteous kralik while and ambitious errand boy pepi katona ( william tracy ) who want nothing more than to be promote to the position of clerk for matuschek and co. the unpretentious love story between dear friend be play out in this little shop in budapest and hungary and in which kralik unceremonious dismissal and subsequent promotion to shop manager help the two lovebird to be along . it nice that everyone get a story in this film while the support character be well develop and and matuschek own journey in life be almost as touching a the one alfred and clara share . his invitation to new errand boy rudy ( charles smith ) for christmas eve dinner and make in the whirling and beautiful snow of a hungarian winter and make the audience glad that he be not alone while we come to care even for the character whose love story it isn not this film business to tell . aside from the love story and i must say that james stewart be truly one of the best thing about this film . he doesn not play the full fledge jimmy stewart persona in this film ( c or f mr smith go to washington for that ) while in fact alfred kralik be prickly and abrupt and not particularly kind . he rather a brusque man and in fact and with little hint ( until and perhaps and the very end ) of the aw shuck down home boyish charm stewart would soon come to patent . when he find out before clara that they have be correspond in secret and in fact and kralik doesn not fess up he wait it out to see how far he can take the charade and especially since he quickly realise ( give his stormy relationship with clara a bos and underling ) that love the person he know through the exchanged letter might not equate with love the person herself . his description to clara of the fictional matthias popkin ( what a name . ) who be to become her fiance be hilarious in the extreme and but also his way of prove that the letter do not reveal all there be to a man and just a her letter do not reveal all there be to her . stewart play this role perfectly he keep his face perfectly control whenever clara insult mr. kralik and a she be often wont to do and even ( and especially ) to his face . and yet one believe and underneath the brusqueness and professionalism and that he could reveal his identity with as much earnestness and sincerity and sheer hope a he eventually do . special mention must be give to the other member of the cast as well . margaret sullavan fare rather less well in the first half of the film and but she really come into her own in the closing shop scene on christmas eve and when she almost get her heart broken again by alfred most vivid description of her mailbox sweetheart . frank morgan turn in a great performance a the jealous hugo matuschek drive to nervous breakdown and the man who have to rediscover his meaning in life when he realise that his wife of 22 year do not want to grow old with him . and felix bressart play the role of the meek but loyal pirovitch wonderfully ( a lubitsch regular and since he appear a a hilarious russian ambassador in ninotchka ) of particular note be the scene in which he help his good friend alfred get the christmas present the latter really want . a wallet instead of that ludicrous cigarette box clara be so hung up on . ernst lubitsch really do himself proud with this film for example and the famously lavish and meticulous care give to detail in the creation of the matuschek shop be well worth the effort and right down to the hungarian name on the door and the ware and the cash register and so on . but even though lubitsch chose to have the story set in hungary and the setting be actually universal represent it could happen anywhere while it could happen to you . therein lie the charm of this simple story and these believable character who really be people . the snow on christmas eve be real as well and or at least as real a lubitsch could make it ( he have snow machine bring in at great expense ) . it be this desire to make everything appear as real a possible that help make the story even more believable and that give this entire film a dreamy realism that can not be replicate . ( no and not even in a remake like youve get mail . ) this be really the jimmy stewart christmas film that people be miss out on when they talk about it a wonderful life . not to detract from the merit of that other film and but there would be no harm and and in fact a lot of good and do in watch the shop around the corner this christmas instead . it sweet and funny and charming and and stewart be impeccable in his role . we should all be so lucky a to have the romance depict in this film while the best thing about this film be that we come away from it feel that we very possibly could .