Based on a true story. The real Frances Lacey had 12 kids, rather than the 6 portrayed in the film.
When first arriving in Idaho, the Laceys pass a sign indicating the distance to Hankston and Pocatello Idaho. The Laceys in the film settle in Hankston, which is a fictitious town. However, the real Lacey family was screenwriter Patrick Sheane Duncan's mother and 11 siblings. They relocated to Michigan from L.A. after his father was killed.
The beat up family car is a 1946 Plymouth Special Deluxe.
Screenwriter Patrick Sheane Duncan based the story on his own childhood experience of moving from Los Angeles after his father was killed in a barroom brawl. Duncan's mother relocated all 12 of her children to Michigan where she found work as a fruit picker to sustain the family.
Norman's red car is a classic 1959 Ford Thunderbird.