Best comedy movie mistakes of all time

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Ace Ventura: Pet Detective picture

Other mistake: When Ace rescues the dog and replaces it with a toy dog, the toy dog is in an impossible position. Ace had to place it there when the door was still open, but if the door was closed after that the man would have knocked it over. (00:03:25)

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Hancock picture

Factual error: Basic physics - Hancock throws Michel from a dead stop to above cloud level in about eleven seconds. The clouds are bog standard cumulus which form at around 7,000 metres in temperate zones. This means that Michel accelerates to about 700 metres per second instantly, from a dead stop. Obviously he cannot accelerate during his ascent, so his starting speed has to be at least that. (In fact he would have to start his ascent much, much faster than 700 metres per second as he would be constantly decelerating due to gravity and air resistance, but it will do as a start point.) Michel accelerates from 0 to 2,520 kilometres per hour - twice the speed of sound - in zero seconds. He would be accelerating at around 5000 Gs, turning him into a very long streak of fine, pink mist.

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Roxanne picture

Factual error: It is not possible to be "allergic to all known anaesthetics". Amongst the amide local anesthetics lidocaine, prilocaine, bupivicaine, mepivacaine and dibucaine are naturally occurring substances and if administered without a preservative they cannot trigger an allergic reaction. If Bales is allergic to them, he'd be allergic to the metabolic processes of his own body. They are all powerful local anaesthetics and could easily be used for a radical rhinoplasty such as that required by Bales.

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Pee-wee's Big Adventure picture

Visible crew/equipment: When Pee Wee is chaining up his beloved bike you can see the long chain coming up through the bottom of the bike box. Full screen version only. (00:13:40)

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Ocean's Eight picture

Plot hole: When Sarah Paulsen pulls the necklace out of the water, the necklace clasp is obviously closed. Since the circumference of the necklace is too small to fit over the top of Anne Hathaway's head, why would anyone believe that it fell off her when she was running to the bathroom? The only way that could have happened is if the clasp (which we were earlier told can only be opened by a magnet) had opened. The trained security guards wouldn't have suspected something wasn't right about a closed necklace falling off over of her? They were following her. They saw that at no point did she lower her head on her way to the bathroom for the necklace to fall off over her head to begin with. It also could not have fallen off her when she was vomiting into the toilet in the bathroom since the clasp was closed. (01:18:25)

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Bowfinger picture

Factual error: The whole Bowfinger scenario is impossible. They are using a 35mm Panavision cine camera which cannot be focused through the lens; it needs precise measurements on the set in order to be properly in register. Then there are the light readings required to ensure proper exposure. Wouldn't Kit Ramsay notice the man with the light meter, or the one with the tape recorder? Both measurements would have to be done with him or an identically dressed and made up stand-in (a "lighting double") on the spot. Then there is the sound. Any sound recordist worth his salary will have the microphone within centimetres of his subject, and he'll have a boom operator keeping in there. We don't even see a microphone in use! Please don't tell me this is based on the clandestine filming of Mary Pickford during her Russian visit: that was done with old black and white film which has very wide tolerance to exposure and most of all it was silent, and she was aware of the camera crew, she just thought they were news crews. (And the results were rubbish anyway).

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood picture

Continuity mistake: During his conversation with the director, while discussing his costuming, Dalton's hair changes from messy and curled to gelled up and straight.

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Get Smart picture

Factual error: During CONTROL's paintball training session, a barrel view of a bullet exiting the gun is shown as it travels to its target. However, the entire bullet is shown, casing and all, instead of just the bullet. (00:09:10)

Razvaluha

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Happy Gilmore picture

Continuity mistake: In the final round, when Happy and Shooter McGavin are about to tee off on the first hole, they show a picture of the 18th green with the Volkswagen Beetle already crashed into the TV tower. However, this doesn't happen until Happy gets hit by the car later in the game. (01:09:25)

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Broadcast News picture

Other mistake: How could Jane not be aware that Tom had only used one camera for the date rape interview, recording his fake tears later? That's the way things are done on television news shows and as an experienced, hard-bitten television producer she could not possibly be unaware of that. The reporter always records his or her reaction shots (called 'noddies') after the interviewee has left. Shooting with two cameras would involve two crews, two lighting rigs, a vision switcher and so on and so on and a straightforward interview simply would not justify such a complex and expensive set up.

PEDAUNT

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D2: The Mighty Ducks picture

Other mistake: When Adam comes in and says "when I woke up this morning, the pain was gone", Connie is mouthing his lines behind him.

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Cheaper by the Dozen picture Cheaper by the Dozen mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After Mark is found, he runs into Kate's arms and hugs her and her sunglasses fall off her head, but then in the very next shot they're back on her head perfectly. (01:24:50)

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Stripes picture

Factual error: Then, as now, every recruit reporting to boot camp would be tested for illegal drugs, first by a urine test and then by a broad spectrum blood test in the case of a positive result. There is no reason for Elmo to try to hide his stash when the recruits are told they are to be tested - he is going to come up positive anyway. He may as well just say he has changed his mind and walk away. He is entitled to do that any time up to ten days after he signed on, and it happened a lot in real life!

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Suggested correction: Those drug tests didn't exist in 81.

Did you watch the film? The recruits are told they are about to take a broad spectrum drug test - not they are going to be searched for drugs, they are going to tested for the presence of illegal drugs in their systems. As has been pointed out such drug tests were mandatory at the time the film is set but that is not important - in the context of the film Elmo's action make no sense as he is going to be tested for drugs. Hiding his stash makes no sense at all as it will not solve his immediate problem. The posting is correct and the correction is nonsensical.

What specific drug tests didn't exist? Nixon directed a military drug urinalysis program in 1971 and the DoD started random drug testing in 1974 (not that testing deterred drug use).

Bishop73

I enlisted in 1982. I got a single drug test at the meps and didn't get tested again during an entire 3 year enlistment. In fact, I didn't receive a drug test until 2 years into my second enlistment. The military just wasn't as strict on drug testing.

ssgemt

Drug testing of recruits commenced in the United States on a trial basis in 1975 and became compulsory in 1977. In 1981 every single volunteer would have to take a broad spectrum drug test before being allowed to start boot camp.

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Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein picture

Continuity mistake: If you look carefully at the monster (Frankenstein) you will see that his face is different in the ending scenes. The reason is, during the movie you see the monster take the woman doctor and throw her out the laboratory window. You then see the monster kind of stumble, which he really did and broke his ankle. So in the final scenes they replaced Lon Chaney Jr. as wolfman with a stuntman, and Lon Chaney Jr. finished the movie as the monster.

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The Great Outdoors picture

Revealing mistake: When they get back from Bunyans and the garbage is on the floor, Chet runs to the bathroom. The family and Roman follow him, you see Dan do a 3 count for everyone to run back In screaming, the blocking of that shot included a gap that you could see them off camera right.

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Mr. and Mrs. Smith picture

Factual error: The movie is supposed to take place in and around New York City, however during the car chase where Angelina and Brad are fighting off the three BMW's, a wide shot clearly shows a street sign announcing Los Angeles.

dettasixx

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Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny picture

Continuity mistake: When JB dreams about singing "Master Exploder" in the small bar, he points at one guy in the audience and literally blows his mind. When he starts pointing you can not only see JB's face, but also how his elbow is in a slight angle. In the next shot the camera shows the guy JB is pointing at and his elbow is completely stretched. The views change several times and the angle of his elbow changes after every cut, until the guy's brain is finally blown out.

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Chicken Run picture

Other mistake: Ginger is adamant that she will not approve any plan of escape that does not get all the chickens on the farm out and to freedom. The problem is, not one of her plans gets anywhere close, and it is not that they fail to liberate the whole farm - they are never planned that way. We see her trying to escape by herself three times. The mannequin of Mrs Tweedy would (had it worked) have allowed nine chickens to escape, the upturned feed tray just seven. Even the 'crate' appears to hold not more than thirty chickens - and there must be several hundred on the farm, at least.

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Suggested correction: Can you be sure we see the whole escape plan from start to finish or just one of the phases?

dizzyd

Of course we are sure. The "crate", with thirty six chickens on it, is flown away from the farm and is dismantled. They cannot go back to the farm for the rest of the chickens. Escaping by herself will achieve nothing for anyone except herself, totally contradicting her own principles. The posting is absolutely correct.

I believe the original correction makes sense. For example, we see them attempt to impersonate Mrs. Tweedy. While this would only liberate some of the chickens, we don't know that's the entire plan. It's likely they're trying it to see if it's successful, and if so the rest of the chickens would repeat it until they were all out. Similarly, digging out would leave a tunnel for the rest to use. When Ginger tries alone, she's likely trying to find a way out that she could tell the rest about.

This isn't a chatroom so this will be my last word. The "crate" is a single use, one-off device. The chickens fly it away from the farm, escaping to their island. They cannot go back and there is absolutely no reason to think that they do. Mrs Tweedy is still in residence at the farm and now is forewarned about the ability of the chickens to organise and act intelligently. Even if they wanted to they could not fly back, and Tweedy would be waiting for them if they did. The crate holds thirty eight chickens. That's it. There is no plan in effect that will allow all of the chickens to escape - especially this one - and Ginger makes it clear she will not consider any plan unless it does. The posting is absolutely correct.

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Toy Story 3 picture

Continuity mistake: During Andy's daydream at the beginning of the film, Mr. Potato Head has an eye patch over his left eye. When the daydream cuts back to reality we see that Andy has removed Mr. Potato Head's left eye to symbolize the eye patch. But when Andy's mum comes in with the video camera, his left eye is suddenly back in. (00:01:15 - 00:05:25)

THGhost

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