Best movie factual errors of 2002

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

Insomnia picture

Factual error: Al Pacino is the subject of an internal affairs inquiry in Los Angeles. It's unlikely a police officer under investigation in L.A. would be sent to Alaska to work on a murder case. Police officers under investigation are routinely given desk assignments until officially cleared and allowed to return to active duty.

More Insomnia factual errors
White Oleander picture

Factual error: When Michelle Pfeiffer is typing in commands into Barry's computer to delete all his files, the commands she types in wouldn't do anything but return an error message. It's clear the computer input was tamed down to make it easy to understand for anyone who has never even been near a computer. (00:24:00)

More White Oleander factual errors
Dinotopia picture

Factual error: When Carl first receives 26 at the hatchery, he asks what kind of dinosaur she is. He is told she is a Hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur), but when we see her, she is some sort of Ceratopsian (i.e.: Triceratops). She is later referred to as a Chasmosaur (which while not looking like 26, IS a Ceratopsian).

More Dinotopia factual errors

Factual error: The raiding party approaches the French ship in small boats without using muffled oars which was a must to approach silently. Oars were wrapped with cloth to deaden the sound.

More The Duel factual errors
The Transporter picture

Factual error: To start his first mission, Frank has an alarm set on his watch. The watch he is wearing is an Officine Panerai. This brand makes only mechanical watches. But what is heard going off is an alarm on a quartz watch. (The only Panerai with a mechanical alarm looks completely different.)

More The Transporter factual errors
Riders picture

Factual error: This movie takes place in Philadelphia (or Pittsburg?) but was filmed in Montreal, Canada, and they had to do a little thing to hide this. In a pursuit scene, you can see a street panel with Montreal's logo written Rue St-Jacques. In another scene, the building that is supposed to be a bank is in reality a library and the name is still on it.

Dr Wilson

More Riders factual errors
The Emperor's Club picture

Factual error: When Sedgewick shows off his sex magazins to his mates you can tell from the modestly covered beauties that they are from the fifties, not from the mid seventies when the movie is set. Also the hint theat they are 'from France' would have meant something in the fifties, not in the seventies. (00:22:00)

NancyFelix

More The Emperor's Club factual errors
Antwone Fisher picture

Factual error: Cheryl works in the Navy Exchange bookstore. In the United States Military(all branches of service) ONLY civilian employees work in the military exchanges, which are small retail stores for military and their family members.

More Antwone Fisher factual errors
24 Hour Party People picture

Factual error: Whenever Steve Coogan is driving his old brown car during the 70s and 80s, you can look out of his windows and see cars that weren't made then, even some with current registration plates on, either driving past, or parked up in driveways, or on the side of the road.

More 24 Hour Party People factual errors
Big Trouble picture

Factual error: When the Dalmatian and her new puppies are shown, the puppies are standing and their eyes are open. However, a new born puppy's eyes are sealed shut until they are at least 12 days old and they can only crawl on their bellies. (00:05:19)

More Big Trouble factual errors
Murder by Numbers picture

Factual error: When the kid is trying to get the girl to come into his car, he is listening to Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, and the editing is terrible. It jumps from the middle of the recital from the book of Revelations at the beginning to the opening guitar riff and then far to early into the famous lengthly scream by Bruce Dickinson. (00:52:00)

More Murder by Numbers factual errors
Austin Powers in Goldmember picture

Factual error: Just after Austin recollects what Mini Me did last time he used the peace symbol, they both smash bottles to use for fighting. Austin grabs his out of a gift basket and Mini Me grabs his out of the mini fridge. Considering the location of both Austin and Mini Me's bottles, shouldn't liquid come out of the bottles because they are new? (01:03:40)

More Austin Powers in Goldmember factual errors
Half Past Dead picture

Factual error: A two minute free fall from a helicopter? Not unless the helicopter was flying at 230,000 feet, which is more than 5 times the record altitude achieved by one.

Blue54

More Half Past Dead factual errors
D-Tox picture

Factual error: No way the sound of Jenny's voice calling for Malloy from afar through Slater's walkie-talkie was this loud and with no noise at all (at Malloy's end) from the storm she and Slater was in.

More D-Tox factual errors
Gotta Kick It Up! picture

Factual error: The phrase "Si, se puede" is translated in the movie to mean "Yes, we can". However, "Si, se puede" literally translates to "It's Possible". (When it is mentioned earlier in the film that "Si, se puede" means "Yes, I can", that is also incorrect.) "Si, nos podemos" is incorrect. It would have to be "Si podemos" to be grammatically correct. Yet, in the United States, the phrase is colloquially translated to "Yes, we can", so it is probable that the writers and directors made the decision consciously, especially considering that the director is of Spanish descent.

More Gotta Kick It Up! factual errors
Two Weeks Notice picture

Factual error: When Bullock and Grant are stuck in traffic they are on the ramp of the upper level of the Queensboro bridge. No trucks are allowed on the upper level of this bridge, so the RV, the truck behind the RV (the one with the two guys who are looking in the bathroom window), and the other trucks that are stuck in traffic on this ramp would not, in reality, be allowed there. (00:55:15)

More Two Weeks Notice factual errors
Bend It Like Beckham picture

Factual error: When Jess arrives late at the final match, she is brought on as a substitute. Yet, the referee should know about the possible substitutes before they are brought on - he didn't even know about Jess. Jess said she wouldn't be able to make the match due to her sister's wedding. Therefore, she would have been removed from the team line-up.

LizzieWD

More Bend It Like Beckham factual errors
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones picture

Factual error: In the introduction, when text flows across the screen, the words "ten thousand solar systems" appear. Strictly speaking, there is only one Solar system - ours. A star with planets is a "star system", our star is called "Sol", hence, the Solar System. This trivial error is made in many sci-fi films, BUT the Star Wars series has never fallen into this error before. Remember Episode IV, where Leia says something like, "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers" (and that's only one example). So why has George Lucas allowed such a trivial but irksome error to be made here? [Some people have debated this point, saying that "Solar" from the Latin "Sol", can mean any star system, but it's backed up in the Isaac Asimov book "Nemesis". He knows a thing or two about sci-fi, and in the book a new star is discovered and called Nemesis, and its system is referred to as the "Nemetic system", as opposed to our own "Solar system".] (00:00:55)

More Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones factual errors
Collateral Damage picture

Factual error: In the paramilitary roadblock scene, you can see the license plates of several vehicles, and these plates are not Colombian. In all other scenes, the overall appearence of the license plates match actual Colombian ones.

More Collateral Damage factual errors
The Hours picture

Factual error: When Laura (in 1951) picks up Mrs. Dalloway from the floor next to her bed, there are six novels in total. Two of the other books are Melbourne by Lord David Cecil and Under the Net by Dame Iris Murdoch, both published in 1954.

MovieFan612

More The Hours factual errors

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.