This is Noah Baumbach's first time writing and directing a book-to-screen adaptation, and only his second adaptation after co-writing the screenplay for El fantástico Sr. Zorro (2009).
Jack Gladney's alarm clock radio is a Panasonic. "Panasonic" was Don DeLillo's original title for the novel "White Noise"; it was abandoned because of the trademark owned by the electronics brand. The closing credits song "new body rhumba" by LCD Soundsystem also features a section where band member Nancy Whang repeatedly chants "Panasonic" in the background.
Lol Crawley stepped in as director of photography after Noah Baumbach fired the original DoP Michael Seresin.
The movie is set in 1983. Driver's character, Jack, states he has been to 16 "first days", the first being in 1968.
The music playing in the background of the German convention scene is "Muss I denn", a traditional German folk song from 1827, which was covered by Elvis Presley in the 60s.