The movie was written by James Toback from research material by Dean Jennings. It was directed by Barry Levinson.
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Costume Design. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Warren Beatty), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Harvey Keitel), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ben Kingsley), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Music, Original Score, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
Following their meeting while making this movie, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening were married.