The Saugatuck High School Marching Band of 2010 performed as the band on the beach.
Filmed in 6 weeks.
Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris previously co-starred in Waking the Dead (2000), Pollock (2000), and A Beautiful Mind (2001). They also subsequently worked together in Salvation Boulevard (2011) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
An open casting call was held in Holland, Michigan to fill 25 roles with local actors. The crew was expecting a few dozen people to show up, but to their surprise, close too 1000 people lined up to be considered for speaking parts and extras.