Trivia

In the source novel by Jonathan Tropper, the main character Judd recalls a time in his childhood when he saw his mother exercising to one of Jane Fonda's workout videos, and told her that she was prettier than Jane Fonda. In this movie version, Judd's mother is played by Jane Fonda.

The plot concerns a family "sitting Shiva," which is the Jewish ritual of mourning after a loved one dies. During that time, the relatives of the deceased (his or her parents, children, siblings, and spouse) gather daily at one house and receive visitors who offer condolences (and often food). The mirrors are covered, and mourners sit on low chairs and periodically participate in the recitation of specific prayers for remembrance; tradition stipulates that condolence visitors should allow mourners to speak first so that the visitors do not say something inadvertently inappropriate to the bereaved. The Hebrew word "shiva" literally means seven, the number of days the observance lasts.

Even though Corey Stoll plays the oldest Altman sibling, he is actually younger than Jason Bateman and Tina Fey in real life.

When Adam Shankman was to be the movie's director, Zac Efron, Malin Akerman, Leslie Mann, Jason Sudeikis, and Goldie Hawn were cast in the lead roles alongside Jason Bateman.

In the novel, the mourning family's surname is Foxman. The name was changed to Altman after difficulties in obtaining legal clearances to use the name.