Best comedy movie mistakes of all time

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Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle picture Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: The scene where Spencer throws the boomerang for the first time and misses the bikers they take off running. While they are running from the bikers, there is a shot right before the boomerang hits the bikers where you can see a camera man sitting in the bushes on the left side. You don't have to pause it, but can to see it better. (00:36:30)

Blickenstaff

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The Truth About Cats And Dogs picture The Truth About Cats And Dogs mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Uma Thurman visits the radio station for the first time, she asks Janeane Garofalo if she can sit down by the microphone. As she's standing in front of the desk she's wearing a cardigan with a handbag over her shoulder. When she turns round to say "you promise not to laugh?", the cardigan and bag have disappeared. (00:16:10)

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About a Boy picture

Continuity mistake: During the Xmas day scene, Markus receives a Sony portable CD player as a gift from Will. However, before the gift's unwrapped, the Sony box is visible on the table. (00:51:45)

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Midnight Run picture

Plot hole: At the end of the film Mardukas reveals that he has been wearing a body belt packed with cash - "in the neighbourhood of three hundred thousand dollars" - ever since Jack detained him in New York. Are we to assume that Jack Walsh, an experienced, hard-bitten ex-police officer, now a bounty hunter who routinely chases down violent and armed bail absconders who would kill him without a second thought, didn't even perform a perfunctory search of Mardukas when he detained him? This man used to work for the Mafia! What if he was carrying a weapon? A body belt with three hundred one thousand dollar bills in it would be uncovered by even the most casual pat down.

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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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Coyote Ugly picture

Continuity mistake: When the real 'manager' comes outside to yell at "Mr. O'Donnell', you see the manager walk back into the club. If you look in the background of the next shot, you can see the manager walking through the door again. (00:13:25)

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Bolt picture

Plot hole: At the start of the movie, a great deal is made of the boom mic that enters the shot. This is ridiculous, because Bolt's view would not be restricted to what was onscreen, he'd have a perfect view of the person holding the boom mic (as evidenced by it not being stable). There's no possibility of him not seeing the person holding the mic either. As Bolt completely and utterly believes the world he lives in, and thinks the situations he finds himself in (saving Penny) are real, someone holding a boom mic would break the illusion for him. In all instances in the movie where an outside force (i.e. a dog handler) interacts with him, Bolt never gets to see the person handling him (handler approaches from behind), the boom mic operator however is literally right in front of him.

GalahadFairlight

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Suggested correction: He wasn't paying attention and considering that his focus was only on the "action", how the hell would he notice a boom mic when he's trying to protect Penny? His "reality" is never broken even AFTER he's in his trailer.

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A Christmas Story picture

Continuity mistake: When Melinda Dillon breaks the lamp, it is broken into many pieces, but when Darren McGavin is gluing it back together it is now in much fewer and bigger broken pieces. Obviously different broken lamps were used.

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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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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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The Grand Budapest Hotel picture

Continuity mistake: Agatha's nightgown strap switches between hanging down on her arm, or being up on her shoulder, normally.

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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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Heartbreakers picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Page (Jennifer Love Hewitt) follows Jack onto the beach, and she falls over into the mud while clambering through the bushes, Jack finds her on the floor in the mud and helps her up. When she stands in front of him, she's clean, with no mud in sight.

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About Last Night... picture

Continuity mistake: When Danny & Debbie are having their New Year's dinner at home, the champagne foam instantly disappears in the very next camera angle after pouring it.

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Meet the Parents picture

Audio problem: When Focker is going back to Chicago the woman who is typing stops moving her hands for a little while the clicking noise is still going.

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Frozen picture

Revealing mistake: When Anna and Hans are dancing in front of the lighthouse, we don't see the shadow of the railing or the ground they're standing on.

manthabeat Premium member

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10 Things I Hate About You picture

Other mistake: In the scene where the kids are shooting arrows and the coach gets hit by one, they send a girl to call 911. If you look closely and follow her in the background, after she runs a few yards, she slows down and eventually stops and stands there playing with her hair. Talk about help... (00:57:05)

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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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Superman picture

Factual error: When Clark speaks to Jor-El for the first time in the Fortress, Jor-El says "I will have been dead for many thousands of your years..." Fine in theory - Baby Kal-El travelled to Earth at above light speed so time passed differently for him. However, as such, wouldn't Jor-El have seen Earth as it was thousands of years ago? Which also makes there a problem with all the things Kal-El was taught during his voyage to Earth, as Jor-El references Einstein by name, for instance, and he would not have existed at the point when Jor-El sent him to Earth.

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