The role of Emmett is credited to "himself" in the end credits, but was actually played by Debra Winger, who was married to Timothy Hutton at the time of filming.
Ellen Barkin appears unbilled as Lucille.
Matraca Berg, who plays piano and sings in the movie, is a singer/songwriter and has been a back up singer for Neil Young and Kris Kristofferson.
The cast includes two Academy Award winners: Timothy Hutton and Maureen Stapleton. The films also features five nominees: Mare Winningham, Don Murray, Neil Young, Mark Isham, and Debra Winger (credited as Emmett).
Yonrico Scott, longtime drummer for The Derek Trucks Band, appears in the heavenly wedding band as the drummer.
Neil Young: has a cameo as a truck driver. In the scene where Mike/Elmo is sitting on the side of the road, Neil pulls up in a large truck, asks him where he's going, and then says, "Well, you don't know where you're going, it don't matter what road you take". A slightly different version of those words appear in the song "We've Never Danced" which plays near the end of the movie and is sung by Martha Davis of The Motels. The song was written by Neil Young and his own version appears on his 1987 album "Life".