The French movie that Kate and Arnold see in the theater is La cena dei cretini (1998), which was remade as A cena con un cretino (2010), starring Steve Carell.
According to David Frankel on the director's commentary, the MPAA was originally going to give the film an R rating due to the scene in the movie theater.
This movie marks the second collaboration between Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. They previously appeared together in Radio America (2006).