The Center of the World

Richard Longman is a computer programmer in San Francisco who has made a fortune in the dot-com boom but has little to show for it in his personal life. Depressed and pulling away from work and from meetings with investors, he meets Florence, a lap dancer. He offers her ten thousand dollars to spend three days with him in Las Vegas, and she agrees, but only on her own terms. The arrangement between two lonely people from very different worlds soon becomes a contest involving sex, money and control.

Wayne Wang directed the film, which followed Anywhere but Here in his filmography. Ellen Benjamin Wong wrote the screenplay, and Wang produced with Peter Newman. Molly Parker plays Florence and Peter Sarsgaard plays Richard Longman, with Carla Gugino, Shane Edelman, Karry Brown and Alisha Klass in supporting roles.

Released in 2001, the film runs 88 minutes and is a drama with romantic elements, made by Artisan Entertainment and Redeemable Features. Its worldwide box office came to about 1 million dollars. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.8 from roughly 5,500 votes, while on TMDB the rating is 5.2 from around 90 votes.