Originally director Alan J. Pakula did not want Burt Reynolds for the Phil Potter part, feeling he was not the right type; he wanted a more New York-trained actor along the lines of Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman. But Reynolds lobbied hard for the role and Pakula finally let him audition. After two auditions, Reynolds had the role, and Pakula subsequently has praised his work in the film.

The shower of Valium pills was based on an actual incident that happened to Burt Reynolds. Later, the film's co-star Jill Clayburgh actually starred in a film about Valium addiction called I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982) which was based on the book by Barbara Gordon.

According to the book 'Rating The Movie Stars' by Joel Hirschhorn, Burt Reynolds " . . . was reportedly angry when co-stars Jill Clayburgh and Candice Bergen received Oscar nominations for Starting Over (1979) and he was ignored."

One of the locations was an actual apartment building in New York City. Tenants were upset because they were forbidden from entering or leaving their apartments while scenes were shot in the hallway.

Burt Reynolds's Phil Potter character walks into a shower in this movie wearing his clothes, a scene evocative of the earlier movie, Charade (1963). That movie was directed by Stanley Donen, who Reynolds worked with a few years prior to this picture, when he starred in Lucky Lady (1975).

Due to delays in filming Bernardo Bertolucci's La luna (1979), actress Jill Clayburgh missed attending a number of awards ceremonies for which she had been nominated for An Unmarried Woman (1978) whilst dubbing sessions for La luna (1979) had to be postponed until Clayburgh had finished work on Starting Over (1979).

Actor Charles Kimbrogh who has a bit part as a salesman in this film, would later co-star with fellow cast member Candice Bergen as Anchorman Jim Dial in television's Murphy Brown.

There are three original songs that were written for this movie: "Better Than Ever" ; "Easy For You" and "Starting Over". They are all sung in the film by Candice Bergen and were written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager.

Almost 20 years later, co-star Jill Clayburgh would appear in another movie, which like this one, was also based on a Dan Wakefield novel, Попутчики (1997). Wakefield also appeared very briefly in Попутчики (1997) as a farmer.

Start of principal photography on Burt Reynolds' next movie Rough Cut (1980) was delayed so that Reynolds could finish his work on this film.

During the school fair scene, actress Jill Clayburgh said, "Good shot, Harry," after catching a wayward throw by one of the children. Even though the child's character was named Mark, they left in Harry, the real name of the child playing the role.

In this movie Burt Reynolds does not sport his trademark mustache which was synonymous with him from the 1970s.

This film was the second movie that Burt Reynolds made with Jill Clayburgh. The first was Semi-Tough (1977). Both movies were made during the 1970s.

Burt Reynolds and Candice Bergen co-star in this film. About six years after this picture was made, the two would star together again in the movie Stick (1985).

This film stars Burt Reynolds and had a screenplay written by James L. Brooks. When the latter became a director and had Terms of Endearment (1983) in development, the character of Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment (1983) did not appear in Larry McMurtry's source novel and was written specifically with Reynolds in mind by writer-director Brooks. Reynolds loved the script but was already committed to star in Stroker Ace (1983). Paul Newman and Harrison Ford turned down the role before Jack Nicholson signed on. Nicholson talked with a number of real astronauts while in Houston in preparation. The character was meant to be a foil/love interest for Aurora (Shirley MacLaine), being first designed for Reynolds, and then custom made for Jack Nicholson, who was basically playing himself.

Filming in New York City, according to the 4th February 1979 edition of 'The Los Angeles Times', the production utilized the former 20th Century Fox studio sound-stages on West 54th Street in Manhattan.

Reportedly, according to the 29th November 1979 edition of show-business trade paper 'Daily Variety', the movie was a record-breaker at the American domestic box-office stateside for the Paramount Pictures studio, setting a record for the highest ever grossing release for a film released in the Fall (Autumn) season, grossing US $26.5 million after fifty-two days in cinemas.

The movie was supposed to be the second theatrical feature film of actor Kevin Bacon who had just cinema movie debuted the year before in Animal House (1978) and in Starting Over (1979). He shot a scene with a few lines and is even credited in the end credits as "Husband (Young Couple)" but his scene was cut out of the final film.

Features Candice Bergen's only Oscar nominated performance.

First of three cinema movies that both actor Daniel Stern and actress Jill Clayburgh have both appeared in. The three theatrical feature films are [in order]: Starting Over (1979), It's My Turn (1980), and I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982).

The film in 1980 was Oscar nominated for two Academy Awards, both for actress' acting, for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Jill Clayburgh and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Candice Bergen, but neither won, losing to Sally Field for Norma Rae (1979) and Meryl Streep for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) respectively.

The film features four Oscar (Academy Award) nominees: Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning, Jill Clayburgh, and Candice Bergen.

Debut produced screenplay for a theatrical feature film of then television writer-producer James L. Brooks who later became a film director.

The film was made and first released about six years after its source novel of the same name by Dan Wakefield had been first published in 1973.

The nick-name of Michael Potter (Charles Durning) was "Mickey".

Production on this picture reportedly wrapped about two days ahead of schedule according to the 14th February 1979 edition of show-business trade paper 'The Hollywood Reporter'.

This motion picture's closing credits state: "Thanks to the Boston Garden".

Debut film as a producer of then television writer-producer James L. Brooks who later became a film director.

Debut theatrical feature film of actor Jay O. Sanders and actress Anne De Salvo.

According to the 12th December 1973 edition of show-business trade paper 'The Hollywood Reporter', when the Paramount Pictures Corporation originally acquired the movie rights to the film's source novel of the same name by 'Dan Wakefield', which had been first published in 1973, creative personnel who were attached to the production of this picture at that time, and were different to the filmmakers who ultimately ended up making the movie, included director Arthur Hiller, 'screenwriter Robert Goldman', and producers Peter Bart and Max Palevsky.

Paramount originally bought the rights in 1973, and had planned for Arthur Hiller to direct.

The film "evokes the screwball comedies of the 1930s and the heyday of American screen comedy" according to the 31st December 1978 edition of show-business trade paper 'Variety'.