Screenwriter Laurice Elehwany said the film was inspired by a childhood friend that lived in a funeral home.
Jamie Lee Curtis imposed a swear jar on set to prevent "trucker talk," as Dan Aykroyd called it. Aykroyd said in an interview: "It was $5 for this word and $10 for another word, and by the end of the movie, the kids had about five grand in there." On the day filming wrapped, Jamie Lee Curtis approached the children and told them to hand over the jars.
The willow tree shown in the movie isn't real. Finding a perfect pond with a willow tree was so difficult that the creators chose a different tree, removed all its branches, and replaced them with fake willow branches.
The house used as Vada's house was actually a bed-and-breakfast in Bartow, Florida. It closed in 2013.
The film's original title was "Born Jaundiced." The producers offered $500 to the Imagine Entertainment employee who suggested the best alternative. Most of the film takes place in a funeral home, inspiring suggestions like "Mourning Glory," "Instead of Flowers," and "Dearly Departed." Other options included "Vada!," which was rejected because it sounded like a South African uprising, and "I Am Woman." In the end, producer Brian Grazer came up with My Girl.