The Shop Around the Corner

You've Got Mail's most direct, telling influencer, this charming 1940s rom-com tells the story of Matuschek's shop in Budapest, in which two employees unwittingly fall in love. 

It remains entirely satisfying to discover that the humour and intrinsic playfulness of The Shop Around the Corner has not dated one bit, even if simultaneously the performances and setting clearly evoke another, distant time and style of acting. Stationary angles and set-piece scenes characterise this wonderful film, but it's really sold on the central protagonists' believable, enjoyable portrayals of Alfred Kralik (Stewart at his drawling best) and Klara Novak (Sullivan, all bite and bright eyes).  Kralik is lead salesman in Matuschek's, butting heads in a well-judged father-son conflict with his bumbling boss (Morgan). Meanwhile, Klara arrives on the scene and bullies her way into a position. Kralik and Klara do not see eye-to-eye. More than that, they intensely dislike each other.

Of course, it emerges fairly swiftly that their respective pen-pals, of whom they both speak so highly, are in fact each other. There commences a delicious discrepancy of understanding as Kralik first faces his true feelings for Klara, and then begins to machinate to ensure that when he reveals his true identity, she won't turn him down. It's well paced, engaging and all a bit soppy in the nicest possible way. Laughs come regularly, while the other characters in Matuschek's provide perfect foils for Stewart and Sullivan to spring from. William Tracy as Pepi Katona is particularly enjoyable to watch.

I'm not saying anything new; but they got romantic comedy down to a fine art, and this is a beautiful example of it. Tight writing, excellent execution, and heart-warming and Christmassy to boot.  

~~~

1940

Margaret Sullivan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, William Tracy

dir. Ernst Lubitsch

Boy

Boy tells the story of the eponymous 11 year old New Zealander and his younger brother, Rocky. Effectively ophaned by their criminal father, Alamein, and the death of their mother, they live with cousins and their grandmother in extreme poverty. But the return of their dad forces them to reconsider their position, both in regard to each other, and how they have built up legends surrounding their absent father.

It's a fairly standard story of family values and growing up, but packaged so beautifully and thoughtfully (even the website is a dream) and given director Taika Waititi's particular stamp. If you're not sure quite what that is, consider Eagle vs Shark (trailer here) or Taika's episode for the hit HBO series, Flight of the Conchords (little clip from his episode here). It's a certain quirkiness, but more than that, a reconsideration of some of the obvious themes (love for EvS, family for Boy) from a detailed, unexpected perspective. The trailer really doesn't do justice to the range of emotions this film stirs. Boy (Rolleston) and Rocky (Eketone-Whitu) have brilliant fraternal chemistry, while Waititi as Alamein is a delight, pure and simple. But to rave about them is, unfortunately, selling short a sensitive, multi-layered film that uses humour not just to entertain but also to elucidate and quietly poke fun at its protagonists. 

Boy lives in his own dream world; but why shouldn't he, if it gets him through the harsh times of caring for his siblings and struggling without guidance? He's a strange one but takes himself entirely seriously, yet not for moment did I feel as though I was mocking him with my laughter, especially after the arrival of his father and the realisation that Alamein has had far more influence on his sons that he ever wanted.

Beautifully shot, carefully put together and interwoven with moments of heartbreak and magic, Boy is an underrated joy definitely worth your time.

~~~
2010
James Rolleston, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu, Taika Waititi
written and dir. Taika Waititi

Update

I've been a little off the boil with reviewing. I am not going to sit with a huge backlog and fret about it. My resolutions for the blog are a) to promote a bit more regularly and b) to write more selectively and critically. I think that seems fair.


So, onwards, back into the swing of things we go.