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The Center of the World
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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
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  1. MarcusG.
    Oct 17, 2004
    8
    This is a movie that wants to seduce you - okay, yes, it has sex upfront and center and some viewers might be standoffish or abashed - but it's really not what you think. (Ignore any snickers from the audience from the outset. Watch it alone if you can't find a like-minded crowd.) This film's real attraction kicks in after the erotica is over and the movie winds down. Because it's at that point you entertain the idea that the movie is not so much a story of sex, or the sex trade, or money or about getting paid or about dirty money or about the shady side of life which so many of this film's viewers may never see. This movie is about everybody's life. In watching it, not only do you witness what the infamous Las Vegas sells its seekers, but you also feel yourself being provoked, titillated and illuminated. Good movies get their audiences involved in different kinds of ways, and this one is so uniquely gripping you may find yourself wondering what exactly it is you've seen. Molly Parker and Peter Sarsgaard are both wonderful and more than memorable.… Expand
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  2. ChadS.
    Aug 26, 2004
    6
    Richard (Peter Saarsgard) might've had Florence (Molly Parker) at "you don't look like a stripper." When Richard pays Molly to join him in Las Vegas, he probably doesn't mean to treat her like a whore, because this technological maverick seems posited to be the anti-Richard Gere, and "Center of the World", the anti-"Pretty Woman". After two years of housebound isolation, albeit, productive, Richard is out of practice in the dating game, and thinks that a transaction of money could be the only way a woman might find him attractive. It's clear to us that Florence, contrary to her claim, does fall in love with her benefactor, but she remembers the money and Richard's slight hesitation when he reluctatntly introduces her to a business colleague. Contact with the outside world, temporarily breaks Richard's illusion that Florence is his girlfriend. There's an interesting dynamic at work between Richard and Florence, but "Center of the World", however, billed as an erotic film, features a lot of sex that's neither titilating or romantic; which is a big deal, since we have to believe Richard fell in love/lust with Florence during their sessions. … Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
44 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 24
  3. Negative: 5 out of 24
  1. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    75
    Like "Tango," Wang's film also seeks to uncover whether sex without emotion is really possible, or worth the effort.
  2. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Robert Horton
    40
    In this case, I have to say, the sense of boredom.
    Read full review
  3. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Gregory Weinkauf
    50
    For better or worse the movie is simply simple -- the project's quality and significance depend upon one's perspective: Is this a daring and impressive homespun yarn or just a very middling stab at soft-core?
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