Did You Know?
Nicolas Cage plays Ronny, a man with only one hand. In Cage's previous role in Peggy Sue Got Married, Cage's character begged Peggy to marry him, saying he doesn't know what the future might bring: he might lose his arm.
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The opening credits show a sign advertising the opera "La Bohème", conducted by "Roger Paradiso". Roger Paradiso was involved with the production of this film.
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Director Norman Jewison was fined by the actors' union for not allowing his actors to go to lunch until they perfected the moods of their characters for the climax scene in the kitchen.
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Philip Rosenberg, in charge of production design, is also credited on the billboard at the Met for the production of "La bohème" attended by Loretta and Ronnie.
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Watch the shot where Johnny kneels down in the Grand Ticino, as he kneels down and his face nearly leaves the camera with the nervous expression, you see him burst out laughing for about one second. If you listen closely, you can hear people laughing at him, obviously the camera crew.
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Cher had just done two movies back-to-back and was so tired, she originally turned this part down. She also thought she could not play a bookkeeper because she is such a lavish spender in real life.
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The original screenplay featured a subplot that showed the characters played by Cher and Vincent Gardenia volunteering at a men's homeless shelter as penance for their sins. The subplot was discarded.
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The "Old Man" is played by Feodor Chaliapin Jr. (although credited in the film as Feodor Chaliapin). He is the son of Feodor Chaliapin Sr., who was one of the greatest basses of all time - a Russian who often performed at the Metropolitan Opera in the early 1900s.
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Like several other members of the production crew, costume designer Theoni V. Aldredge is also credited on the poster for "La bohème" shown at the beginning of the film.
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Nicolas Cage's screen test didn't impress the studio, and they wanted to get someone else to play Ronny. But Cher insisted that Cage was the one to play that role, and threatened to quit unless he was hired. After a few days, the studio relented.
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According to casting director Howard Feuer, both Anne Bancroft and Maureen Stapleton had been considered for the role of Cher's mother, but their fees were too expensive for the production budget. Feuer remembered Olympia Dukakis, a character actress known for years to most in casting, she read for director Norman Jewison and he hired her instantly.
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When Johnny hails a cab at the airport after his return from Sicily, he asks the driver to take him to "19 Cranberry Street, Brooklyn." This is a real house located a few blocks from the East River, just like the exteriors shown in the movie.
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The movie's line "Snap out of it!" was voted as the #96 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).
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Ranked #8 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Romantic Comedy" in June 2008.
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The opening title sequence was originally played on the score from "La bohème" opera but was changed to the Dean Martin track "That's Amore" as the preview drew negative test audience reaction. Many shifted uncomfortably on their seats thinking that they had been lured into an art film.
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Producer Patrick Palmer initially rejected the script saying that a special quality was not on the page.
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John Mahoney later revealed that his role in the film got him widespread attention, helping him get cast in the TV series Frasier.
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Norman Jewison has stated that the climactic kitchen sequence was the most difficult scene that he ever shot in his career. The crew were dismissed and Jewison rehearsed with the cast for some time, using a stage production approach. Only after the actors perfected their timing did he decide where to put the camera.
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