The Center of the World

The Center of the World is a 2001 film directed by Wayne Wang. Told through a series of flashbacks centering around a couple in Las Vegas, The Center of the World stars Peter Sarsgaard as Richard Longman, a computer programmer who became a billionaire in the dot-com boom of the 1990s. Before striking it rich, RIchard was on the verge of giving up. He would not show up to meetings with investors and was wallowing in depression. In this state, he offers $10,000 to an exotic dancer named Florence (Molly Parker) to accompany him to Las Vegas. The two become close, sharing nights in Las Vegas and meeting her friend Jerri (Carla Gugino), a card dealer at one of the casinos. Richard begins to fall in love with Florence, but she assures him the arrangement is strictly professional. Richard does not take kindly to this revelation and things get even more complicated.