Synopsis

After a scandal threatens to destroy the current administration, two former presidents who have spent years feuding are framed for crimes they did not commit. Forced to flee together, the pair travels across the country while trying to uncover the conspiracy behind the setup. Their reluctant alliance turns into a race against assassins, political corruption, and their own deep mutual hostility.

Factoids & Trivia

• The project was originally conceived as another Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon pairing, with the role of Matt Douglas written for Matthau. Matthau withdrew because of illness, and James Garner took over the part.

• Principal photography took place largely in western North Carolina, including Asheville, Dillsboro, Waynesville, Black Mountain, and locations along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

• Asheville's downtown area was used to portray an unnamed West Virginia town. The film's fictional All Dorothy Marching Band was portrayed by the Western Carolina University Marching Band and was built around references to Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz.

• Several recognizable North Carolina locations appear in the film, including the Biltmore Estate and the Broad River area near Lake Lure.

• Jack Lemmon performed his own stunts apart from a brief horse-riding sequence.

• The film was released in the United States on December 20, 1996. It had an estimated production budget of $21.5 million and earned approximately $22.3 million domestically.

• The political characterizations were designed as broad comic types, with the two former presidents reflecting contrasting Republican and Democratic stereotypes rather than representing specific real presidents.