Originally scheduled for release in 2007, but writer/director Kenneth Lonergan spent four more years struggling with Fox Searchlight Pictures over the final cut, resulting in several lawsuits.
When Fox Searchlight and Gary Gilbert refused to pay any more for a film that seemed like it would never be released during the post-production process, Kenneth Lonergan turned to childhood friend Matthew Broderick, who lent him some money to continue working on his project.
Some reports claim that the theatrical cut of the film, is the version edited by Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker, not Kenneth Lonergan. But, in a 2012 IndieWire interview, Lonergan refers to both the theatrical cut and the extended cut released on home video as his own.
Despite Kenneth Lonergan's long and troubled editing process, Fox Searchlight Pictures was unwilling to fire a director with final cut privilege and risk damaging their reputation among other filmmakers.
The film debuted in the UK on just one screen, the Odeon Panton Street in London, where it earned nearly £5000 in its opening weekend. This meant it had the highest screen average of any film in release at the time.