Reportedly, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Shirley MacLaine did not get along during principal photography. Hopkins apparently once said: "She was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with."
Filming began in late December 1979 to January 1980 on-location in Massachusetts, two months after Elle (1979) was released, when heretofore unknown Bo Derek was fast becoming the focus of worldwide attention. Additional love and nude scenes were added to the later studio phase of the shoot to exploit Derek's growing popularity as a sex symbol.
After the end of principal photography, Bo Derek and Sir Anthony Hopkins were brought back to film this movie's notable hot tub love sequence.
The movie was nominated for three Razzie Awards at the inaugural Golden Raspberry Awards in 1981. The nominations were for Worst Actor (Sir Anthony Hopkins); Worst Screenplay (Erich Segal, Ronni Kern, and Fred Segal) and Worst Original Song, "Where Do You Catch the Bus Tomorrow?" (Henry Mancini, Marilyn Bergman, and Alan Bergman), but it failed to win any.
John Feltch: As a college student, wearing a red and white striped shirt, who is briefly visible in the basketball sequence.