Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

You know, normally when you have a good script and excellentactors on your project, you can turn out something decent, good orgreat...even when you, as the director, believe you're talented andthink you know what you're doing. But so far as "The Last Time ICommitted Suicide" is concerned, Stephen T. Kay flat out ruinedthis movie, and it is damn near unforgivable.Here we have a screenplay filled with some of the most wonderfuldialog you can imagine being delivered by a troupe of wonderfulactors. Thomas Jane gives a star making turn as Neal Cassady,and he is backed up with a startlingly naturalistic and cozy turn byKeanu Reeves as his drunk buddy, Harry. But could you enjoy thebeautiful rhythm of their work? Noooooooooo. By God, Mr. Kaywas going to remind you every step of the way that he isDIRECTING this film and you are going to pay attention to that fact,come hell or high water.I mean, here we have a quiet intense drama about a charismaticman who inspired people like Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg,and the director uses every trick in "The MTV Bible of PseudoFilmography" to hide that fact and (supposedly) make it palatablefor the ADD generation. You got your jump cuts and edits every .9seconds and odd angles and pretty inserts and on and on and onuntil I finally wanted to scream at the screen, "Take a F*****Gvalium!" Drama has to unfold; it cannot be force fed down yourgullet because the man making the movie thinks you're too easilydistracted to give a damn about the characters.I've only seen one other movie where the director completelydestroyed a wonderful script -- "A Chorus of Disapproval"(although if "While You Were Sleeping" had had any other actressin the lead besides Sandra Bullock, it would also fit in this cursedcategory).So...if you like your drama spit out in food fight fashion, then this isthe movie for you. But if you want anything approaching reality,check out something like "La Dolce Vita" by Federico Fellini, whohas more style in his right pinkie than in all of Stephen T. Kay'sbody.

I am writing this because I am in stark disagreement with a certain editor. This little film shows excellent directing, cinematography and acting. It stands as testimony against, and is infinitely better then, most of the talentless "indie" wastes of time that you'll see in the country's smaller theaters today. Thomas Jane BECOMES a young Neal Cassady, and displays one of the finer performances you'll ever see on film. In fact, the acting is excellent overall (To which the director should be praised). Admittedly, if you are interested in the legend of Neal Cassady this movie is going to be much more interesting to you. Still, even if you are not, it is a fine story of unrequited love, with humor and the spirit of the enjoyment of life. It is a touching period piece, excellently delivered and exceptionally written. The other Cassady-driven movie (unrelated to this cast and crew) - "Heart Beat" (1980) - hits you like a stale yellow lamp on a boring Sunday afternoon by comparison. This film is vivid and beautiful. It is a shame that a film of this caliber is being ignorantly shuffled under the carpet, becoming prematurely harder to fine with each passing day, while the constant deluge of mindlessness produced by the big studios becomes marketed ad nauseam over the course of decades. Stephen T. Kay made the kind of film that inspires filmmakers.The soundtrack - also becoming harder and harder to find - cannot be beat (It remained untouched from my CD player for months). Personally, I had never been a fan of jazz music before owning it.

"this was not the last time I committed suicide..." That's such an amazing line. It's all about how you make certain choices that could make the world of difference in your future, how the road you have just chosen to take might not be the one that you most want -- but for some reason you take it anyways. That by one choice, you are killing a life that you might've had. It's a great movie! And the ending is wonderful! It's so bittersweet, so honest. It makes me wish that things were as easy as they were then. That like Neal Cassady, I could just drop everything, hop into a stolen car, and ride away --- doesn't matter where, just away.

An interesting historical fiction of a real letter written from Neil Cassady to Jack Kerouac. Real artsy, and poetic. Almost like Macbeth, not the story, but how it drew a character. The hero of the story, you know is in ways bad, but you feel for.