The movie was written by Joan Tewkesbury and directed by Robert Altman. It has the trademark Altman overlapping dialogue and huge casts. Each actor was required to write and perform their own songs for the movie.
It won an Oscar for Best Music, Song (Keith Carradine for I'm Easy) and was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Ronee Blakley), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lily Tomlin), Best Director and Best Picture. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.