Congratulations. I'm a 100 years old.

In this day and age, after decades of being fed the same oh-so-predictable romantic comedy storyline in various shapes and colours, is it silly and naive to keep hoping to find something different and fresh when the lastest installment of this genre makes its way to the theater? According to recividist Anne Fletcher's The Proposal, yes. Yes, it is very silly and naive.

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is your typical fierce, career-oriented woman and a star editor in New York. She also happens to be the Bitch Boss from Hell, especially according to Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), her long-suffering assistant who dreams of making the big times as an editor himself. When Margaret is faced with deportation to Canada due to an expired visa, she makes a deal with Andrew: marry me and i'll make you an editor. Hilarity with a side of side-glances increasingly filled with longing ensue as the odd couple fly off to Alaska to break the news to Andrew's family.

Initial relationship based on mutual annoyance that magically transforms into true love? Check. Crazy-but-still-kinda-adorable relatives? Check. Poor excuse of a romantic foil? Ugh. Check. Recurring gag involving a pet? Sigh. Check. Ethnic minority only there to provide comic relief? Cheeeeeck. Grand Finale where the boy convinces the girl that they belong together/he never should have let her go/he loved her all along in front of a nosy crowd in a park/a party/an office/any place where it can rain? CHECK! Seriously, what else is new?!

The Proposal's saving grace? The Bullock-Reynolds partnership. In this opus, the comic actress finds a male counterpart with the same mix of funny and touching. Add some decent chemistry and you've got a winning duo, in both senses of the word. In spite of all this, they still manage to get the spotlight stolen from under them. The real star of this piece is Betty White as old Grandma Annie. As the excentric, enthusiastic and sometimes machiavellian family matriarch, the veteran actress is a comedic gem. I'm sorry Ms. White, you're not allowed to die. Ever.

Finally, props to Anne Fletcher and screenwriter Peter Chiarelli for choosing the beautiful landscapes of Alaska as a setting and also for picking the most adorable Samoyed puppy to play Kevin the dog. However, I stick to my first statement made when the credits rolled : Meh.

And an extra Meh for underusing the usually extremely funny Craig T. Nelson. Meh!