Sex isn't the subject of "The Center of the World." It's the arena. The subject is making money, and the movie is about two people who hate their jobs. Richard (Peter Sarsgaard) is a computer whiz whose company is about to go public and make him a millionaire. Florence (Molly Parker) is a lap dancer in a strip club, but technically not a prostitute. You can be aroused by her, but you can't touch her. Richard is the same way. He skips a meeting with investors and disappears as his company floats its IPO. You can profit from his skills but you can't have him.At one point they practice something called "fire and ice," which involves ice cubes and hot sauce, and has been compared by credulous reviewers with the most famous scene in "Last Tango in Paris." The difference is, in "Last Tango" something was really happening between two unpaid and involved participants; in "The Center of the World," it's erotic showbiz. (Show me a sexual practice that involves ice cubes and hot sauce, and I will show you a sexual practice that would be improved without them.) The movie has also been compared to "Leaving Las Vegas," but couldn't be more different. That film was about agony and redemption, and the hooker was a healing angel. This movie is about two entrepreneurs.The suspense in "The Center of the World" is not about whether Flo and Richard will have real sex. The suspense involves whether they'll start to like each other. If you understand who the characters are and what they're supposed to represent, the performances are right on the money. Flo is not supposed to be a sexy tart, and Richard is not supposed to be a lustful client. They're sides of the same coin and very much alike. You want real? This movie shows you real. For Richard and Flo, real is a weekend in Vegas trying to figure out what they really want and how much they're willing to sell off in order to buy it.
