The Center of the World is a 2001 American drama film directed by Wayne Wang and shot on digital video.

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.

[3] Wang said he "wanted to make a really erotic film about sex and love, that could be like ‘The Last Tango in Paris’ for a younger generation.

"[3] Wang chose to shoot the film on digital video, saying "I’ve seen the way the stuff is shot and transferred, and it looks beautiful and interesting in its own way.

[10] A Cincinnati theater owner attracted media attention after allegedly ordering a member of his staff to edit a five-second scene from the film a day before its release.

[11][12][10] The film's website also generated controversy for featuring an interactive strip club, including a faux online sex chat hosted by Klass.

"[5] He added the "pic’s tension derives from the ambivalent nature of [Richard and Florence's] relationship", and that Sarsgaard creates a "nuanced" character "as a manchild-ish introvert.

"[5] Though Harvey commended Wang on drawing credible performances from his leads, he also said the story lacks drive and does not fully explore the characters' psychology.

[5] Harvey also noted the film's "most impressive aspect is its successful pitching of 'the world’s oldest profession' as a problematic but viable personal choice: No one is exploiting Florence, who is far from the usual doomed, drug-addled or airheaded prostie figure seen on screen.

"[5] Of the film's setting, Harvey said, "Arriving just when the dot-com boom has gone bust, Center’s high-tech nouveau riche angle may strike some viewers as already dated, but in the long run will add a creditable specificity of time/place.