Sometimes, when watching mid century romantic comedies, the old sexist stereotypes bring so much heat to your face, it’s tricky to actually watch the film through all that blood. And then other times, the charm, wry humor, and surprising character relatability of the film smacks you with the realization that the 1960s female caricatures aren’t too far off from your own modern day life experiences.

Joshua Logan’s Tall Story is a fun, light-hearted romantic comedy with a lot of what you might expect from a film made in 1960 and so much more. Anthony Perkins and Jane Fonda (in her debut role) are perfectly cast in their roles, their young, flustered chemistry crackling off the screen and actually making their swift romance convincing and sympathetic.

Tall Story certainly isn’t a comedy to be taken too seriously, though it does provide a both maddening and amusing snapshot of a time gone by when sexuality and feminism were quite different matters than they are today. As one who is increasingly sensitive to sexism in classic film, even I found myself chuckling the whole way through this movie, entertained by the story and acting, but also being reminded those girls I met in college in search of their M.R.S. degree. Wait, was that me…? Surely not. But there are some fun correlations between the romance in this film and my own personal segue into betrothment. Read on, my friends!

Jane Ryder is a tall girl with a big plan to snag a man in college, but not just any man. A tall man. Because golly gee, the last thing on earth a tall girl needs is to scare off all the eligible men with her intimidating stature. (Please adjust your sarcasm meter appropriately for the entirety of this revue.) At the beginning of the semester, she sets off straight away with her sights on one All-American in particular— Ray Blent, or as she says, “the darling one.” Act fast before all that’s left are the short fellas, right Jane? She’s very forthcoming with the professors of the university, letting them know she needs to get into their classes so she can get as much face time as possible with Ray. And because face time isn’t enough, she joins the pom squad to make sure he sees plenty of her legs too.

Jane captures the attention of her All-American target, who at first is intrigued with her appetite for knowledge (Oops! You got the wrong girl, Ray!), but then is drawn in by physical attraction. He decides they must be married soon, if you know what I mean, but the two love birds don’t have money for married housing. Shucks. What a letdown, huh? Well no worries, because the perfect opportunity pipes in through the taxi cab radio that Ray drives, offering him a nice chunk of change if he throws the big game against Russia. (Yes, Russia. This is 1960, after all.)

So what will he do? Take the money? Get the girl? Kick her to the curb when he finds out about Jane’s plan to trap him into marriage (for the sake of vertical equality)? And what will his ethics professor do when he finds out about the bribe after things have gotten far too out of control? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out! Watch Tall Story online through Amazon’s instant streaming service here.

Sure, culturally speaking Tall Story doesn’t hold up so well over time, but I still found it charming and enjoyable. It was interesting to see Jane Fonda in her debut role, and I just adored Tony Perkins’ fumbling Jimmy Stewart-esque mannerisms as he’s so drawn in and frustrated by Jane, the beautiful blonde coed. He did a great job, and didn’t play it over the top.

It was interesting to see details on the basketball court that have changed in the past 50 years to what college ball is like now. A lay-up was called a lay-in, there was no three point line, the players wore what looked to be Converse sneakers (Their poor feet!), and don’t even get me started on their super cute uniforms. From what I’ve seen, though, male players wore those short shorts all the way up to the ’80s, so that shouldn’t have surprised me.

The whole idea of a girl going to college to nab a guy might feel incredibly dated, though it’s actually not always that far in the back of the minds of young women (and even men!) today. Sure, young women in college are there for an education with (hopefully) a plan to be able to support themselves and pursue their own dreams, but if they find romance and a life-long partner along the way, it’s gravy, right? Legally Blonde is a modern riff off the old tale, though this 1960’s story is a painfully more cliché. Though I’d rather have a cliché ’60s college romance than the over-the-top raunchy frat-house flicks they show in theaters these days.

Tall Story’s plot would certainly play out differently if made in our modern age, depending on what type of university Jane and Ray are attending. Christian college? Well, then, they’d get married quickly so they’d be able to have sex without guilt, but then as they really learn about each other’s faults and the struggles of life upon reentry to the real world, they may give up on their idealistic marriage that started out on shaky grounds, and begin a quest to find themselves. (That might seem like a rather dark perspective, but I’ve seen it happen all too often. I’ve also seen those marriages go very nicely!) Or, if they’re not the strict Christian type, they might have a Fall semester fling, and then Ray would meet a girl in one of his classes who actually does love learning (rather than faking it to impress him like Jane did), who challenges him intellectually, and who also revs his engine, so to speak. Then Jane would be forced to chase a different jersey as Ray begins a long-term relationship with the girl more his speed, and, well, the whole story wouldn’t be very fun to watch, I’m afraid. Or would it? I mean, maybe I’d go see that movie. Depends on who’s starring, I suppose. Might make a good indie film.

Oh, and by the way, for those of you who don’t know, Phil and I became engaged when we were in college, and he was the captain of the basketball team at our Christian university where too many people met, fell in love, got married quickly, and struggled with life after leaving the campus bubble. I ended up leaving that college after the first two years to attend a state university for another four years. We did get married, though, and we are living happily ever after. Our little backstory made this movie all the more entertaining to watch!

Oh— Be sure not to miss the irony of the charming little shower scene in this movie, considering the other uniquely impressionable shower scene in the unforgettable horror film Anthony Perkins also starred in the very same year— Yes, the one and only Psycho!