The first movie from the Disney company (produced/released under their "Touchstone" company) to receive an "R" rating from the MPAA.
Nick Nolte's character remarks that he became a bum in part because he was "pretty active politically in the '60s. Sold some draft cards." In real life, Nolte received five years' probation for selling fake draft cards in the 1960s.
Since this film is a remake of Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), (Boudu sauvé des eaux), which translates as "Boudu Saved From Drowning", the working title of the project was "Jerry Saved From Drowning", with Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte) being the equivalent character to Priape Boudu (Michel Simon) in the original French film.
Right before Richard Dreyfuss is rear-ended by the police car, he drives past a movie marquee advertising Jaws (1975), the movie that propelled him to stardom.