Other cast members were recruited during the film's lengthy pre-production period. Harmony Korine often approached people on the street, in bowling alleys and in fast food restaurants, and asked them to play a part in his movie.
Harmony Korine and his camera operator were frequently chased out of locations by angry fathers with shotguns, who suspected them of making child pornography.
In addition to being a co-star of the film, Chloë Sevigny designed the costumes. She found most of them in thrift stores around Nashville.
The film was shot in about twenty days, with a budget of 1.3 million dollars.
The film takes its name from the fifth and lesser known Marx brother Gummo, who dropped out of their shows before the brothers became famous.