The script was originally written in 1935 by Endre Bohem, but sat on the shelf until 1990, when his son Leslie Bohem found it upon his father's death. He fell in love with the script, and after updating it for the 1990s, sought to have it finally filmed.
Steve Buscemi was initially reluctant to play Frank, because the character was a criminal, and Buscemi was worried about being typecast as criminals at the time.
This film was green-lit before anyone was cast in it.