The film was made and first released about four years after its source play of the same name by Bernard Slade was first staged in 1979.
The movie and source stage play's story were inspired by a quote Ernest Hemingway's real life scenario. He wrote: "I have been in love with a woman for forty years, but when she was married, I was single . . . and when I was married, she was single. We were victims of unsynchronized passion." A tagline for the movie actually stated: ''When he was married, she was single . . . and when she was married he was single. They were victims of unsynchronized passion.''
The movie's Charity Benefit World Premiere was held in aid of the the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art (LAICA) and was held in on 5th October 1983 at the the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills, California, USA. The movie then opened wide theatrically stateside about on 7th Oct 1983.
The home sets for the lead characters of Jason Carmichael (Dudley Moore's townhouse) and Phoebe Craddock (Mary Steenburgen's apartment) were built at the former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios in Culver City, California, USA.