According to editor Jay Cassidy, Sean Penn allowed Jack Nicholson to make editing choices for two weeks without Penn's involvement, trusting Nicholson's eye for filmmaking, being a director himself.
The movie concludes with a dedication to "My friend, Charles Bukowski. I miss you, S.P." Sean Penn was a close friend of the writer and poet.
Jack Nitzsche's last film score before he died 5 years later from a stroke.