Barry Primus had been shopping his script around at different studios for several years before his good friend Robert De Niro agreed to back the film, and take a co-starring role.
Evan Wright's (Robert De Niro) opinions regarding the lack of sex in Marvin's (Robert Wuhl) script was inspired by real-life conversations that writer and director Barry Primus had with producers while attempting to find a backer for the film.
The film cast includes four Oscar winners: Martin Landau, Robert De Niro, Ernest Borgnine, and Christopher Walken; and two Oscar nominees: Danny Aiello and Laurie Metcalf.
Robert De Niro and Danny Aiello appeared in The Godfather Part II (1974) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984).