After the murder of Dorothy Stratten, no major studio would release the film, fearing it would bomb due to the tragic context in the public mind. Director Peter Bogdanovich spent $5 million of his own money to distribute the film himself. The film failed, and the director found himself on the brink of financial and professional ruin.
Dorothy Stratten was murdered soon after production ended. The negative publicity surrounding the tragedy contributed to the film's limited release.
The film, shot in 1980 by a small crew on the streets of Manhattan, reunited Audrey Hepburn and Ben Gazzara. According to director Bogdanovich, Hepburn and Gazzara had fallen in love while making Bloodline (1979), but Gazzara had subsequently fallen in love with Elke Krivat, who became his third wife. The tension between Hepburn and Gazzara, and Gazzara's depression over his imminent divorce from his second wife, made it "difficult at times" on the set.
John Russo's daughters are played by director Peter Bogdanovich's real-life daughters, Antonia Bogdanovich and Sashy Bogdanovich.