Factual error: They hold a huge dance in the hangar at night, and Dennis leaves to walk to the Memphis Belle through the hangar doors, which are wide open. The whole flight line, tarmac and hangar are bathed with light - on a US Air Force base in East Anglia during the blackout. Blackout restrictions were rigidly enforced and were not eased until September 1944. The last mission of the Memphis Belle was in May 1943.
Factual error: In the scene at Idlewild airport, the actors walk past the rear of an easily identified 1965 Chevy Impala. Occasionally Chevrolet introduced vehicles early, but never two years early.
Factual error: Cher complains that Astroturf is going to ruin baseball. Mermaids is set in 1963 when Astroturf was still being developed under the name Chemigrass. It wasn't christened Astroturf until it made its world debut on the floor of the Houston Astrodome in 1966.
Factual error: One of the first races that Cole runs is Phoenix. Phoenix International Raceway is a very flat track. There are several shots in that segment showing a high-banked oval.
Factual error: After Robert De Niro awakens, Robin Williams takes him on a ride around New York and Robert is amazed by all the surroundings. The movie is set in the early 1970s, but you can see plenty of vehicles around from the time that the movie was filmed (1990). Notice the square headlights that originally appeared in the late 70's.
Factual error: When Christian Slater is talking on the phone in one scene, it is clear it is a cordless phone. When he slams it down, however, it makes that "ding" sound like older phones that really have a bell in them.
Factual error: Banker Carl (Goldwyn) threatens to kill Molly at 11 pm if he doesn't get his $4 million. Goldwyn goes searching for his money at Whoopi Goldberg's house. Goldberg is arguing with her sisters over whether to watch The Arsenio Hall Show or change the channel to watch Love Connection. In New York, where the movie takes place, The Arsenio Hall Show was on at 11:30 pm (already past the time he threatened to kill Molly) and Love Connection was on at 9:00 am and both shows were broadcast on the same channel.
Factual error: When Lt. Dunbar is preparing for his meeting with the Indians, you can see the rubber sole of his boot as he is putting it on. There is also a stamped logo on the boot heel. Rubber bottomed boots did not exist during the Civil War.
Suggested correction: True enough officially, but it often happened during war or in remote areas or in this case Both, unconvential materials would be used in improvised solutions.
Factual error: During the second half of the film, set in Britain, Peter Mitchell is hiding away from a woman. She opens the door and asks "What are you doing in my closet?" She seems to talk with an upper class British accent, but she wouldn't use the American word "closet," but use either "wardrobe" or "cupboard."
Factual error: Near the end of the movie, Jacob takes a cab to go back to Brooklyn, supposedly from another part of New York. However, in the next shot, we see that at the beginning of the ride, they are already in Brooklyn (on Division Ave, for those who know Brooklyn).
Factual error: Bob shoots Nikita in the knee to prevent her from doing anything drastic. However her leg heals really fast, without any medical help and no scars at all. (00:19:00)
Factual error: When officer Van is shot with a shotgun his body is lifted off the ground and knocked several feet backward. One of the basic laws of physics states for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The amount of energy required to lift and move an adult man would be tremendous and the person firing the gun would have been subjected to the same force.
Factual error: During the car chase through Northern Illinois they are passing by palm and cypress trees. Not indigenous to Illinois.
Factual error: Tommy Molto stands up and tells Judge Lyttle that the prosecution has not been able to find a key piece of evidence: a bar glass found in the victim's apartment. The jury is present when Molto makes this statement. That would never happen in a real courtroom. The judge had not yet decided whether testimony about the glass could be offered by the prosecution, so he certainly would not want the jury to hear anything about the glass until AFTER he made that decision.
Factual error: Most of the time when Eddie uses his inhaler, he uses it wrong or doesn't even spray it in his mouth.
Factual error: If you look at the band playing in the Regal Club the night the boy's mother first visits, the night where they first bring on the donkey, you'll notice that the drum kit used by the drummer in the band is, from what we can see, a 1980's Pearl kit, far too modern. (00:39:00)
Factual error: Amanda gets married when she is either 13 or 14. The legal age in Oklahoma is 16, and there's nothing to suggest she lied about her age.
Factual error: This film is set in Casper Wyoming, yet at the end, as they are pulling away, a visible sign for Interstate 80 can be seen. Interstate 80 doesn't go through Casper.
Factual error: When Robert Redford looks at the radio he finds in Lena Olin's car, the radio's ID plate has a serial number beginning with 67-, which means it was paid for by the U.S. government with funds from fiscal year 1967 - eight years too new for a story from late 1958.
Factual error: Buddy's early '60s black-and-white photo of his girlfriend is on modern-day Kodak paper - you can see the printing on the back of the photo in the restaurant that's advertising the brand.