Writer and director Jeff Baena only wrote a detailed outline for the film, which was loosely based on "The Decameron". The cast improvised their dialogue.
After release, promotional posters and preview trailers for the film included the Catholic League's declaration that the movie is "trash, pure trash".
This movie is based on one story from a short story cycle (collectively called The Decameron) originally written by the Tuscan scholar and poet Boccaccio during the mid-1300s (probably between 1348 and 1353) and considered a foundational piece of Italian and Western literature. Set during the time of a mass plague (the bubonic plague / "Black Death" of the 1340s and '50s), the premise of The Decameron is that ten people who are sequestered in a remote countryside villa to escape the plague-ridden city pass the time by telling each other stories. Viewers who are surprised by some of the sexual content of this movie may be unaware that Boccaccio's original text was banned by papal decree at various times throughout history for perceived anti-clericalism (including sexual content involving clergy).