Director Adrienne Shelly was killed shortly after the film was completed. Keri Russell was called in to record a director's commentary for the DVD in her place, recounting the on-set creative process and decisions that went into making the film.
The film was shot in 20 days.
The last name of Jenna's doctor, Pomatter, is the combination of three of Adrienne Shelly's favorite Yankees players: Jorge POsada, Hideki MATsui, and Derek JeTER.
When Jenna and Earl argue in bed, the scene originally concluded in a sexual encounter that Keri Russell described as "kind of rapey." While filming the scene, Jeremy Sisto's sympathetic delivery of the line, "You're my sweet thing," caused Adrienne Shelly to reassess her original concept of the character. She changed the scene on set to end with Earl quietly sleeping.