Reportedly one-sixth of the budget was spent on acquiring the rights to 1970s pop hits on the soundtrack.
When the kids are building the paddles, the sleeping teacher in the shop is a real teacher at the school, who still works there.
Matthew McConaughey's father died early in filming. Production shut down briefly while he helped arrange and attended the funeral.
Matthew McConaughey's production company's name, JKL Productions, comes from Wooderson's life credo: "Just Keep Livin'!"