As the movie opens, the camera pans from an old typewriter to a framed photo of Martha Vickers. Vickers played Carmen Sternwood in Al borde del abismo (1946), which was a Raymond Chandler story featuring his famous detective Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart). This is one of many nods to film noir of the 1940s.
Art Carney won the National Society of Film Critics (U.S.) Best Actor Award for his role in this movie.
Robert Benton originally wanted producer Robert Altman to direct the film. Altman read the script and took on producer duties but felt Benton should direct.
At one point, Ira Wells tells Margo that he refuses to have another operation for his ulcer. This is a very personal reference by director-writer Robert Benton to his own father, who underwent a great deal of surgery in his later life and eventually died rather than have any more.
The only non-Best Picture nominee for the year to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay.