Blouses and pastels are back, and so it appears, are the Brat Pack - that delicious group of pretty, sulky actors who epitomised 1980s youth in films such as "The Breakfast Club", "St Elmo's Fire", and "Pretty in Pink". Reviving careers with an ironic twist is all the rage, too. Charlie Sheen can now delightfully toy with his own bad-boy image to play 'himself' in "Being John Malkovich", while his old buddy and fellow scandal-touched Brat-Packer Rob Lowe has made it to the White House on television in "The West Wing".

Elsewhere, Molly Ringwald recently starred in the limp thriller "Cut", playing a B-movie actress - oh, the irony. We were reminded what a mistake that nose job was when Jennifer Grey turned up in "Bounce", playing second fiddle to Gwyneth - oh, the shame! And Lou Diamond Phillips - a long way from "La Bamba" - headed the cast of "Bats" - oh, the horror.

Some might argue that it's a harsh but fair Darwinian system that weeds out the less fit. But occasionally, they do prove their worth. Kiefer Sutherland made good with his portrayal of a nervy geek scientist in the underrated SF thriller "Dark City"; Ally Sheedy did a very respectable turn in the lesbian romance "High Art"; while Robert Downey Jr went from "Less Than Zero" to an Oscar nomination for "Chaplin".

We should hold out hope that these once-young wonders and their bratty buds will show today's whippersnappers that they're not just a retro novelty.