The film is adapted from the play written by both directors, created in Paris in 2010 (théâtre Edouard-VII) staged by Bernard Murat, and sharing the exact same cast, except for the character of Claude, who was, on stage, played by Jean-Michel Dupuis. And of course, some minor characters have been added for the film : the two children, the pizza boy, and the hospital crew. Among this hospital crew, the doctor is played by Bernard Murat, who was the stage director of the play.
It is mentioned several times that Claude is the first trombone at the philharmonic orchestra of radio France, yet in the two scenes he appears at the orchestra he is seated at the second trombone's seat.
There is a comic reference in French which is lost in the English translation. Pierre's nickname for Claude is 'plum', both in the original French and in the English subtitles. In the English version, the reason given is that 'plum' is short for the 'Sugar Plum Fairy', implying that Claude is homosexual. In the original French, the reference is to a variety of plums, 'Reine Claude' (Queen Claude), also implying that Claude is homosexual. Reine Claude plums are also known as 'la bonne reine' in France and as 'greengages' in the United Kingdom.
In February 2013 Valérie Benguigui won a Cesar for Best Supporting Actress for this film. She died on September 2, 2013 due to breast cancer. This film was her last film but one. She had already been a Best Supporting Actress nominee for a Molière Award in 2011 for the stage play.
The end credits are designed like a family scrapbook and show many of the cast and crew members on vintage private photos.