"The Shop Around the Corner" versus "You've Got Mail"

Movie remakes is a controversial subject. Usually the new film doesn't capture the magic of the original. However there are some instances where this is not true.

The remake of the movie "The Shop Around the Corner" is one of those films. In "You've Got Mail" Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fall in love through email. Many people don't know that this is a remake of the 1940 film titled "The Shop Around the Corner," starring none other than Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan.

Unlike some remakes including "King Kong" and "Guess Who," which are insults to the original, "You've Got Mail" manages to transition the original story to a more modern audience while still keeping the romance, plot and quality of the original.

The original plot follows two co- workers at a small gift shop, who do not like each other. They get annoyed and frustrated with each other on a daily basis. What they don't know is they are actually falling in love. They are each other's anonymous pen pals. They just don't know it.

The 1998 version is more or less the same plot. Only the two lovers do not work together. They are business rivals. And instead of falling in love through letters, they do so through emails.

So the big question is...Which movie is better?

I cannot answer that for everyone. But for me, it's "The Shop Around the Corner." This is a narrow win though. I cannot say that one film is better directed or acted. I cannot even say that I enjoyed one over the other. The difference is the charm that the 1940 movie and its stars have to offer. It's the era. It's classic.

As blogger Dan E. Newton said "You've Got Mail still lacks the otherworldly fantasy that The Shop Around the Corner achieves. I'm still unsure if this is a good thing or not. It is certainly indicative of the era."

The era is the biggest difference of the two movies. If "The Shop Around the Corner" were made in 1998, it would be laughed at because let's face it, no one writes letters anymore. But the fact that "You've Got Mail" managed to keep the story almost exactly the same and still appeal to a 
contemporary audience is a big deal. 

The better movie may not be clear, one might not triumph the other. So the choice is up to individual preference, a rare instance for a remake.

Now check out these lists of worst movie remakes...

 http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-worst-movie-remakes

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/worst-horror-movie-remakes-ever-153400642.html