Production
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, and the Deauville Film Festival, among others, before going into limited release in the United States.
In an episode of the Sundance Channel series Anatomy of a Scene, director Wayne Kramer and members of his cast and crew discussed various aspects of the film. In order to show Bernie's evolution from loser to winner, costume designer Kristin M. Burke dressed him in suits that progressively became better fits. Early in the film, the character resembles a boy dressed in his father's oversized clothing. By the end, he not only is wearing the right size suit, but he has accessorized it with a brightly colored shirt and tie that represents his sunnier disposition. Lighting schemes designed by cinematographer Jim Whitaker also contributed to documenting Bernie's progression. In early scenes, his face is kept in the shadows, but later he is filmed in a spotlight and backlit to make him stand out from everything behind him.
The Golden Phoenix Reno, which was scheduled for a total refurbishment, was used as the interiors of the Shangri-La. The Golden Phoenix was closed in 2006, and since then has been undergoing a conversion to condominiums, named The Montage. The hotel buildings demolished during the closing credits are the Aladdin, the Sands, the Landmark, and the Dunes hotels.
The song "Almost Like Being in Love", used to mark Bernie's transition from sad sack to winner, was written by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner for the stage musical Brigadoon.
According to the 2006 documentary film This Film Is Not Yet Rated, the MPAA originally rated the film NC-17 because of a glimpse of Maria Bello's pubic hair during a sex scene. An edited version rated R was released in theaters. A director's cut has been broadcast by the Independent Film Channel and Cinemax.
The film, budgeted at $4 million, grossed $8,291,572 in the United States and $2,173,216 in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of $10,464,788.
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