The film marks the twentieth anniversary of Ben Stiller and Jerry Stiller working in a film together. Their first appearance was in the John Cusack comedy-adventure Hot Pursuit (1987), in which they played father and son villains.
Jason Bateman and Amy Poehler were originally cast as the leads, when James Bobin was signed on to direct the film, replacing Barry Sonnenfeld.
Roy Jenkins (Buzz) and Stephanie Courtney (Gayla) are famous spokespeople for auto insurance commercials: Jenkins as "Jerry" for State Farm, and Courtney as "Flo" for Progressive.