Best movie deliberate mistakes of all time

Please vote as you browse around to help the best rise to the top.

Mr. Deeds picture

Deliberate mistake: Am I REALLY supposed to believe that a helicopter is capable of hovering above the top of Mt Everest? [In the DVD specials, the filmmakers say that they're absolutely aware that it's not possible for a helicopter to hover above Mt Everest. They just thought it would be a funny scene if a helicopter pulled the dead guy away from the mountain.] (00:02:15)

More Mr. Deeds deliberate mistakes
New York Minute picture

Deliberate mistake: After they have the towels on the girls, find the "I Love NY" shirts. They're wearing white bras when they shouldn't have anything on, considering they just took a shower.

Disney-Freak

More New York Minute deliberate mistakes
Mars Attacks! picture

Deliberate mistake: At the end just before the president is killed he fixes his tie, but it keeps on getting fixed to messed, to fixed, etc. Deliberate homage to "A Few Good Men", but worth looking for nonetheless. (00:28:15)

More Mars Attacks! deliberate mistakes
Driving Miss Daisy picture

Deliberate mistake: During the ice storm, Hoke brings Miss Daisy coffee because he figured her stove was out. A few scenes before that they are frying chicken on a gas stove. Gas doesn't go out during power outages.

More Driving Miss Daisy deliberate mistakes
Live and Let Die picture

Deliberate mistake: In the scene where Bond and Kananga are fighting underwater, Bond shoves the bullet into Kananga's mouth. Then, Kananga rises up and explodes. He explodes like a balloon, with not much blood at all.

More Live and Let Die deliberate mistakes
For a Few Dollars More picture

Deliberate mistake: Near the beginning, Col. Mortimer takes down a wanted poster and goes after the man. The man he kills looks nothing like the man pictured on the poster.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: There is a similar situation in the UK produced western movie "Carry On Cowboy" (released 1965). Johnny Finger/The Rumpo Kid (Sid James) shoots the sheriff of a US town. The sheriff is related to legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley (Angela Douglas) and she swears revenge. Finding that Johnny Finger is staying in a saloon, Annie Oakley sets up a trap on the staircase. Another person (an uncredited extra) inadvertently walks up the staircase, so she shoots him instead. As he falls down the stairs she calls out "I'm terribly sorry I thought you were somebody else." Perhaps Col Mortimer has made a similar mistake. Being less polite than Annie Oakley he does not have the good manners to apologise.

Suggested correction: Is that a mistake? (Either on the part of the people who made the film, or assuming this was real life, on the part of Colonel Mortimer?) They're a pretty bloodthirsty lot in this film, and nobody seems to really care who gets shot. Maybe he figures he can get a bounty for that person anyway.

Rob Halliday

More For a Few Dollars More deliberate mistakes
Ocean's Twelve picture

Deliberate mistake: Laser beams are normally not visible, except for a small dot where they hit a surface. Even if made visible, using smoke or dust or special glasses, they are thin as threads. Obviously something more visual was needed for Toulour's dance act, hence the thick beams of light.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Talour would need to see the beams in order to get through. I would attest that he let off a low grade smoke canister with a fine mist like a concert hazer to make the beams visible yet not trip a smoke fire detector.

More Ocean's Twelve deliberate mistakes
Donnie Darko picture

Deliberate mistake: In the shot near the end of the film where Donnie grabs the keys for the station wagon, you can see a Blockbuster Video member card in a cup. That card design wasn't used until the mid to late 1990's. This movie is set in 1988. Deliberate as it's a product placement, but still wrong. (01:37:10)

More Donnie Darko deliberate mistakes
Marie Antoinette picture

Deliberate mistake: In the scene where Marie is trying on shoes, a pair of powder blue high top Converse sneakers can be seen next to her feet. It must have been done intentionally, but since there is no trace of modern apparel anywhere else in the film (the closest would be the mere mention of hot pink dress fabric but, as it's not shown, we don't know what exactly Marie calls "hot pink") these shoes (and the fabric) can't be considered part of a thematic element or artistic license. (00:55:35)

Phixius

More Marie Antoinette deliberate mistakes
Contact picture

Deliberate mistake: The slow rate of the radio telescopes at the VLA has been greatly increased for the movie. They are actually quite slow and make little to no noise.

More Contact deliberate mistakes
Osmosis Jones picture

Deliberate mistake: The 'NNN' news program shows a picture of some animal crackers in Frank's stomach. The problem is, they are still all in one piece and are pretty big. I don't think Frank would swallow them whole.

More Osmosis Jones deliberate mistakes
Nacho Libre picture

Deliberate mistake: Several of the matches Nacho loses, he should actually have won. In Mexican pro wrestling, it is illegal to rip another's mask off, and results in immediate disqualification. This happens twice to Nacho, both in the fight with the midgets and in the final against Ramses.

Twotall

More Nacho Libre deliberate mistakes
Sky High picture

Deliberate mistake: Mr. Medulla said that Will stepped on his foot when he was walking to his desk. If you look closely you can notice that he stepped over his foot instead of on it.

Jazetopher

More Sky High deliberate mistakes
A Clockwork Orange picture

Deliberate mistake: In the scene where Alex, after having been released from prison, is standing near Albert Bridge and staring down at the River Thames, the tide line, as measured by the bridge's support column, changes several times.

More A Clockwork Orange deliberate mistakes
The Exorcist picture

Deliberate mistake: Father Merrin says, "It is He who commands you", and we hear and see the ceiling crack above his head. In the next shot we see the ceiling above him and they are no cracks in it, but four shots later we see the exact same spot and now cracks appear even though we hear no more cracking over-dubs after the first one. (01:49:15)

????

More The Exorcist deliberate mistakes
Failure To Launch picture

Deliberate mistake: At one point they use a Red Ryder BB gun (Yes, just like in A Christmas Story) and the guy says "You pumped it more than twice, didn't you" to his female counterpart when they shoot the bird. Red Ryder BB guns cannot be cocked/pumped more than once, due to the simple nature of the toy gun that it is.

Jazetopher

More Failure To Launch deliberate mistakes
3 Ninjas picture

Deliberate mistake: During the sting attempt towards the beginning, Douglas confronts Snyder on the roof of the building. A helicopter rises up from nowhere without making any sound prior to that.

More 3 Ninjas deliberate mistakes
Labyrinth picture

Deliberate mistake: When Sarah, et al are surrounded by the Goblins in Goblin City, the first cannon fires causing an explosion in front of some buildings, one of which has a hanging sign with scissors on it. Later, after the squatty Goblin says, "Hey! I just fired you!" another cannon fires causing an explosion, and the very same shot is shown, only the first one was flipped. (01:20:15 - 01:25:35)

Super Grover

More Labyrinth deliberate mistakes
Darkman picture

Deliberate mistake: There is just too much movement and detail in the synthetic skin masks. Peyton lost a large portion of his face in the explosion, and cannot make much expression with his own face, but somehow he can make the masks move perfectly just like a real face.

More Darkman deliberate mistakes
Fled picture

Deliberate mistake: Practically all movies incorporate the name of the movie within the dialog. However, they must remember the English language and tense agreement. On at least two occasions, Fishburne says "Come on Dodge, lets FLED." If they were so interested in incorporating the name within the script, they should have named the movie FLEE.

More Fled deliberate mistakes

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.