The Truman Show

The Truman Show (1998)

40 mistakes

(9 votes)

Factual error: When the bus breaks down, steam is shown coming out of the front of the bus. GMC buses have the engine and radiator in the rear.

Continuity mistake: When Marlon stocks the vending machine, the camera (inside the back of the machine) shows him stocking the 1st row with brown-wrapper candy bars. He starts stocking the 2nd row with yellow-wrapper bars; Truman interrupts him for a minute (during which Marlon doesn't touch the bars at all). When Marlon continues, the yellow bars have changed to something darker (it's not just a different camera view; even barcodes are different). After another brief interruption, Marlon continues again, and the yellow bars are back. (00:35:00)

Continuity mistake: When the fallen lamp has settled, the glass and parts of the housing are in the sunlight, and the light is in the shadow, with the camera looking into the side of the shadow. As Truman comes out to investigate, the light has been turned to a new direction, the pieces of the housing are missing, and the glass is splayed out a lot more than it originally was.

Movie Nut

Continuity mistake: When Truman is going mental, with his wife in his car and they are about to go around the circle loads of times, it shows a shot of the car from the back. If you look at his wife's seatbelt it is on. However, a couple of seconds later it has another rear shot of the car and you can see the wife putting on her seatbelt again, when she already had it on. (00:48:00)

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Truman is on the boat, it shows a shot of him wearing a green shirt and black trousers but in the next shot he is wearing a blue shirt and khaki trousers.

The Truman Show mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: When Truman takes his high school sweetheart to the beach, her "father" comes to get her. There is a shot through the father's button cam showing Truman backing away. Look at Truman's shirt and you will see not one but two human shadows. One is the father and the other is the "button" cameraman. (00:25:30)

Other mistake: When Truman is standing at the open doorway at the very end, and is addressed directly by Cristof, during some of the shots, the open doorway behind him becomes a black backing board, visible from the way the light falls on it. (01:32:15)

Audio problem: When the entire city is searching for Truman near the end of the movie, you hear everyone as if they are in step with military-like cadence. However, take a look at the group and you will see they're not even close to being in step. (01:18:25)

Continuity mistake: When Truman meets his father on the street, the father turns his head and looks at his son. The angle changes and his head repeats the movement. (00:15:10)

Sacha

The Truman Show mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: After Truman sees his father as a homeless man there is a scene where he runs into a vehicle (before the dog runs past). This shot is from the ground looking up. Take a look at the reflection in the passing car, you can see the crew and equipment. (00:15:50)

manthabeat

Visible crew/equipment: During the scene following the leak at the plant when Truman's wife is trying to ask him what is going on, she is standing next to a counter. Look at the farthest left door. A shadow of a crew member can be seen moving.

manthabeat

Revealing mistake: When Truman is first discovered escaping on the boat, they go to a camera shot of his face. If you look at the water, the boat is not moving at all. They use a similar shot later in the scene after the storm. You can also tell the background is the same as the large wall that Truman crashes his boat into. (01:19:05 - 01:25:25)

Continuity mistake: When Truman is on the bus to go to Chicago, he climbs on, and the door shuts. The bus driver screws up the motor, and when we flash back, the door is wide open.

Continuity mistake: Truman picks up the fallen lamp from its upper part. A frame later he is holding it from the side. (00:03:40)

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When Truman talks to Marlon, who is stocking the vending machine in the shop, Marlon's head jumps from looking at Truman to looking inside the machine, placing the bar, in a single cut. (00:34:40)

Continuity mistake: When Meryl takes the Chef's Pal out of the paper bag, the lettuce around the bread disappears. (00:09:15)

Sacha

Continuity mistake: When the lamp falls on the pavement, its front part breaks completely. When Truman picks it up it is fixed. (00:03:40)

Sacha

Continuity mistake: At the ferry, the first shot shows the blinds opened. From inside the ticket place the blinds are closed. (00:07:40)

Sacha

Other mistake: After Truman opens the door to the outside world there is a close up shot of him listening to the creator. Behind Truman is a solid black wall, not the shadowy space we would expect and do find in later scenes.

TryHardDieHard

Continuity mistake: When the lamp is about to fall, the aerial view show a very simple street. From street level, the place is filled with all sorts of decoration. (00:03:15)

Sacha

Truman Burbank: Good morning! And in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

More quotes from The Truman Show

Trivia: The name of Truman's boat is the "Santa Maria" - a ship sailed by Christopher Columbus. It is symbolic of going to a new land or a "new" place.

More trivia for The Truman Show

Question: Just something that has interested me for a while. Did all the people in the town grow up with Truman (eg. his classmates) or are they all different actors? Also do all the actors live on set or do they have lives outside the show?

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: Clearly, in his media interviews, Truman's best friend, Marion, indicates that he did, indeed, grow up with Truman since they met in elementary school. One could extrapolate that his classmates did, as well. A sudden change of actor from one day to the next would be too much of tip-off to Truman. As actors leave the show, there is a story along with it. His father is presumed to have died, and returns later. I'm sure others move away. The main characters (Truman's wife, parents, close co-workers, and other key figures in his life) also appear to live "in world" and have devoted their entire lives to the Truman project. It is not made clear about the extras, though.

Michael Albert

It's kinda hard to believe though that a little boy (Marion) is faking it all so well for all these years since his childhood without raising any suspicion.

He probably didn't get to know it until a late age. In the bus, a little girl was confused and almost tell her mum that there was Truman, so a kid can't keep up the secret. I'm pretty sure they don't know it. But on the other hand, when he says he wants to be an explorer all the classmates freak out, as if they knew it would put in danger the show. So maybe the classmates and even the best friend had been selected after making sure they wouldn't mess up and reveal the secret.

Answer: In a deleted scene, "Marlon" explained that he didn't realise he was auditioning for the show. Only that his mother was the casting director and told him that he would be in this class with Truman and that he would be known as Marlon from then on. In regards to the classmates, they weren't freaking out, they were laughing at the prospect of Truman wanting to be an explorer. With the other actors, only his family, Marlon, and a few close friends/co-workers would live on set. If they want to have a break to visit their friends/family on the outside I'm sure they would have been allowed to. Just come up with a story of why you are leaving for X time and Truman would buy it.

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