Based on real characters; and a real party that occurred December 1992. Many of the actors appearing in the film knew the person on whom the main character is based.
Bruce Davison was shooting another movie and could only clear one Saturday for this film. All his scenes were shot on that one day, and he had no script. The director explained the arc of the scene, and Davison improvised all his lines.
As there was only a small budget for this movie, cast and crew members made use of their own things to meet the story's needs. Randal Kleiser used his house and pool for the scenes set in Brandon's home. Eric Roberts provided his own white horse to ride in flashback scenes. Lee Grant used a favorite coin ring for Amalia's gift from Nick. Sally Kellerman brought her own dog, and so on.
In the scene where Nick signs his name next to his picture on the wall, a black and white photo with the name "Harry Stein" beside it can clearly be seen. Harry Stein was the basis for Nick's character. The newest DVD edition of the film includes a tour of his home, led by his ex-boyfriend, writer/director Randal Kleiser, after his death.