This film evolved from Reba McEntire's second hit single "Is There Life Out There" on her 1991 album 'For My Broken Heart' - a music video of the same song was made with musician Huey Lewis portraying her husband. Lewis was slated to star in the film version; the role was recast with Keith Carradine instead.
The poem that Reba was reading in class are the lyrics to her hit single "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" (also from the 'For My Broken Heart' album) - the song was recorded as a tribute to her father being hospitalized for heart bypass surgery in 1991.