Drew Barrymore bought the screen rights to Charlie's Angels (1976) prior to this movie being filmed - a decision that earned her an estimated $40 million for the first movie, and a possible $80 million for the second.
The Thin Man was originally a speaking role, but Crispin Glover didn't like the lines, so he asked for them to be removed. Director McG and producer Drew Barrymore agreed to make it a non-speaking role to give the character a more mysterious feel.
After Dylan (Drew Barrymore) tumbles down a hill, she arrives practically naked at a house with two boys playing a video game. The same house was used in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (one of Barrymore's first movies). A bowl of Reese's Pieces (E.T.'s favorite candy) and a movie poster are visible.
An extremely profane argument between Bill Murray and Lucy Liu shut down filming for a day. Murray allegedly said: "I get why you're here (Drew Barrymore), and you've got talent (Cameron Diaz)... but what in the hell are you doing here? You can't act!" The remark is said to have prompted Liu to launch a physical attack on Murray. In recent years, Murray cited script problems as the reason for the feud. He explained: "We began rehearsing this scene and I said, 'Lucy, how can you want to say these lines? These are so crazy'. She got furious with me because she thought it was a personal assault, but the reality is she hated these lines as much as I did. I feel very warmly for her now."
Crispin Glover came up with many of his character's eccentric traits, such as ripping off women's hair, sniffing it, and then screaming.
Cheung-Yan Yuen: This movie's martial arts choreographer and trainer appeared as a fellow passenger on the plane in first class at the start of this movie. He can be seen speaking in Cantonese to two pretty women, teaching them to say "thank you".