Second and final of Harrison Ford and Peter Weir collaborations. first was witness, second was this film. Peter weir also did two films with Mel Gibson which were Year of living Dangerously and Gallipoli. Ford and Gibson later appeared in the Expendables 3 but share no screen time together.
During casting River Phoenix was passed on several times for the role of Charlie Fox for being too old (he was 15). When no age-appropriate Charlie could be found, Phoenix's audition tape was brought in again to director Peter Weir and, impressed by the actor, he decided to put the age issue aside and give Phoenix the job.
While Allie Fox and his family are being lashed by violent winds and near horizontal rain during a hurricane a couple of palm trees in the background are standing perfectly still.
Charlie: Once I had believed in father and the world had seemed small and old. Now he was gone and I wasn't afraid to love him anymore. And the world seemed limitless.
Allie Fox: Nature is crooked. I wanted right angles, straight lines. You cut yourself opening a can of tuna and you die. We still going up-river mother?