National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) - 11 mistakes

Visible crew/equipment: During the scene when Audrey is having a nightmare about eating too much while on vacation, the nightmare ends with her inflating like a balloon from all the food. Her blouse splits open and down the middle, where the buttons have broken, the dark balloon used for the effect is visible.

Other: In the beginning of the movie when Clark is preparing to light the Bar-B-Q, He squirts charcoal fluid out of a plastic bottle. Then Ellen squirts more fluid onto the coals out of the same plastic bottle. Listen to the sound; it is the distinctive sound of a metal charcoal lighter fluid bottle.

Continuity: In the scene where Clark is on the bicycle chasing the car Ellen has been kidnapped in, Clark is just about to catch up to the car and jump off the bicycle into the car. As he's about to do this, there is a small car parked on the side of the road so that as soon as he jumps off the bike it will hit this small car. Right before he attempts to jump off the bike, in the next scene where the shot goes from behind Clark to in front of Clark, he is about to hit the car and in the next shot the car is gone and he keeps pedaling.

Factual error: In the "Pig in the poke" show, the final question - regarding the Lewis and Clark expedition - sounds: "What lieutenant led that expedition?" However William Clark was not lieutenant - he was captain.

Continuity: When the Griswalds are leaving the hotel in London they get in the hire car. When Clarke realises that the steering wheel is on the other side he gets out. When Ellen gets out she leaves her door open but when Clarke goes to get in the door is closed.

Continuity: When Clark first hits the bike rider with his car, he is nursing his left leg, but later, at the hotel in Rome, he has a cast on his right leg.

Audio problem: When Clark is chasing the kidnapper, his car has a blowout. Even in the theatrical version, you hear him say "Darn it all," when it's clear that he's mouthing the F-word, along with something else.

Visible crew/equipment: When the Griswolds are in Italy, Ellen sees the billboard advertising her seductive video. She storms away and is later seen backing up into a parking spot at their hotel. The driver is a huge stunt man and notably much larger than Ellen (if not most women) and when parked the petite Ellen exits the vehicle.

Continuity: Near the end of the film as the Griswolds flight back to the U.S. approaches New York City, Clark points out that the Statue of Liberty is visible below. The Griswolds are all seated facing forward (in the direction of flight) on the left side of the aircraft, and are looking down on Lady Liberty through windows on the left side. When we see the subsequent shot of the statue passing by below, the point of view is from the windows on the right side of the aircraft.

Continuity: In the scene where Ellen is doing the erotic dance in the bathroom she squirts shaving foam onto her hand, then blows some at Chevy. At the end she comes out of the bathroom and lies on the carpet. Chevy gets on top of her and when she puts her arm round him you see the hand is completely clean.

Other: When Clark goes into the bathroom to film, nothing is wet, even Ellen's hair is dry. Also, how did she get the slippers on her feet? She starts the scene from the shower, so she doesn't have them on from the begining.