Bette Midler claims that Danny DeVito called her twice after the premiere of this film: once to congratulate her, and a second time, 20 minutes later, during which he and Midler both broke down in a nervous frenzy over how terrible the movie was, and how their careers were over. The film went on to become a box-office smash.
Madonna was originally cast as Barbara Stone. The role later went to Bette Midler because of artistic differences between Madonna and the director.
Shares similarities with the O. Henry story "The Ransom of Red Chief," a turn-of-the century story about two con men who kidnap the rambunctious 10-year-old son of a widowed businessman for ransom. The businessman refuses to pay the ransom, happy to have his unruly son gone, and the son proves to be a difficult captive. The criminals end up deciding to return the boy to his father rather than collecting the ransom. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times writer Dale Launer stated: "I certainly read O. Henry as a kid, and I don't remember consciously lifting it."
The film was released under Disney's Touchstone Pictures label, which was created so the studio could release more adult-oriented fare.