The Center of the World
Artisan Entertainment | Release Date: April 18, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
13
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Too arty by half. Read full review
50
New Times (L.A.)Gregory Weinkauf
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? Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Wang's film doesn't really have anything more to say about power, manipulation and the wild unpredictability of sexual energy than "Last Tango" did 30 years ago. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
All Center of the World has is the double entendre of its title, some unremarkable dramatic and sex scenes, and some embarrassing moments for its very game co-stars.
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
It certainly has its moments (erotic and otherwise), but there just aren't enough of them.
50
L.A. WeeklySteven Mikulan
We should be thankful for the courage of Wang and his cast in standing against a culture that nervously treats sex as either a prurient joke or a puritan crime. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Sober and serious and downright glum, ultimately an all-too-familiar portrait of lonely souls unable to break through their own isolation. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Where Mike Figgis' film, with Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue, bore deeply and darkly into emotional territory, The Center of the World turns out to be just as fake as its setting.
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's only when he (Wang) slows down and allows the characters to connect emotionally that his movie's unflinching honesty takes your breath away. Read full review
40
Film.comRobert Horton
In this case, I have to say, the sense of boredom. Read full review
40
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Hysterical but inorganic, lacking blood, sweat, or tears. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Adults may discover, however, that when they get to the center of this particular world, they find no real there there. Read full review
40
Mr. ShowbizKevin Maynard
Offers nothing but tired "Red Shoe" Diaries-style sexploitation for the art-house crowd.
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