Remember "Risky Business" teenager Joel Goodsen who had an unconventional entrepreneurial streak? This teenager fails because he doesn't have a good enough reason.

Charlie (Anton Yelchin) is blissfully unaware why he doesn't fit in. Considering he is in a fancy boarding school with other rich kids (or juvenile delinquents with family money), he creates fake IDs in his room to be liked. When caught and expelled, his over-bearing girlfriend of a mother, Marilyn (Hope Davis), enrolls him in the neighborhood public high school.

Chauffeured around and wearing his boarding school clothes, Charlie longs to be accepted and liked. He's immediately the target of the school bully, Murphey (Tyler Hilton). A sad moment and his mother calls the on-retainer psychiatrist who prescribes Ritalin. Charlie sees that he can make friends with Murphey by partnering with him in selling his drugs. He starts going to psychiatrists who are all too happy to prescribe all kinds of drugs. To get these drugs from Charlie, students have to go into the boy's bathroom and, in a confessional-style setting, outline their problems.

Charlie becomes the most hallowed kid in school selling Ritalin, Prozac, Xanax (but not Viagra). The school's alcoholic principal, Gardner (Robert Downey Jr.), is barely interested in Charlie's activities until his daughter Susan takes an interest in him. He's furious Susan is becoming interested in boys!

Even though Charlie has spent his entire school career being the unpopular outsider, he doesn't notice that there is another kid struggling with suffocating insecurities and suicidal thoughts. Kip (Mark Rendall) is in a very bad place and Charlie's indifference and cavalier "treatment" takes the movie to different level. Charlie's teenage psychiatric posturings, while supposed to be funny, is a dangerous crime.

You would think the kids at Charlie's high school know how to get Ritalin, Adderall and that horse asthma drug Clenbuterol (used by young celebrities and actresses for losing weight).

Yelchin (remember him from "Alpha Dog"?) is front and center and somewhat interesting straddling the fine line between being likeable and yet annoying, glib, and downright offensive. Downey always gives a good performance, never phoning it in for a paycheck. This is the nicest performance by Davis, whose hard features have always limited her appeal for me. But here she is softer and gently appealing. If only the incestuous relationship was more key to Charlie's offensive behavior for gaining popularity and attention.

We at zboneman.com are excited to welcome Victoria back from her world travels. To read all about her globetrotting adventures click onto "The Devil's Hammer," her column appears every Monday on http://fromthebalcony.com.