The Center of the World

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Center of the World
Directed by	Wayne Wang
Produced by	Wayne Wang Peter Newman
Written by	Wayne Wang Miranda July
Starring	Peter Sarsgaard Molly Parker
Cinematography	Mauro Fiore
Editing by	Lee Percy
Release date(s)	April 19, 2001 United States
Running time	88 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Center of the World is an American film directed by Wayne Wang, digitally shot, released in 2001. It stars Peter Sarsgaard as a Dot-com millionaire who hires a drummer/stripper (Molly Parker) to stay with him in Las Vegas for three days for US$10,000.

Internet executive Jason Calacanis consulted on, and appeared in, the film.

[edit] Plot summary

A couple checks into a suite in Las Vegas. In flashbacks we see that he's a computer whiz on the verge of becoming a dot.com millionaire, she's a lap dancer at a club. He's depressed, withdrawing from work, missing meetings with investors. He wants a connection, so he offers her $10,000 to spend three nights with him in Vegas, and she accepts with conditions: four hours per night of erotic play, and no penetration. During the days in Vegas, they get to know each other, have fun, meet a friend of hers; at night, at least after the first night, things seem to get complicated. Is mutual attraction stirring? Will they play by their rules? Can it be about more than money?

[edit] Popular and critical reception

The film opened to mixed reviews, and has been compared to movies with similar "hooker in love" storylines such as Exotica and Pretty Woman. The Center of the World is more explicit than said films, containing both female and male full frontal nudity, as well as a penetration shot of a lollipop in a vagina.