My friend J told me a story recently that left me nonplussed. Her teenage daughter wanted to see Pretty in Pink, after watching a Veronica Mars episode in which Meg and Duncan dressed up as characters from the movie. So J rented it, along with one of her own '80s favorites, St. Elmo’s Fire.

Daughter and friends liked Pretty in Pink, so they popped in Fire. J was in the kitchen as they watched, enjoying their noisy laughter. Until she remembered that St. Elmo’s Fire wasn’t all that funny. So she went into the den to find her daughter in tears from laughing so hard. “Oh, Mom, this is SO lame!”

Lame? St. Elmo’s Fire? It’s a classic. A classic! … continue reading