Corrected entry: When Laura is escaping from the beach house we see her putting on a wig and then lifting a roll of bank notes from her bag. During the film it is clear she doesn't work so she has obviously saved money for her escape. How, then, is she managing to pay for her mother's upkeep in the nursing home without her husband knowing? The part-time library job that's mentioned wouldn't pay nearly enough.
Corrected entry: Laura tells Ben that she moved to Iowa to be near her mother who's in a nursing home, but she hasn't seen her yet. Ben asks why, and she replies that she's not sure it's safe. Why would Laura say this when she's trying to keep her identity and situation a secret?
Correction: This is so much a plot hole as a question. Laura is starting to get to know and trust Ben a little, so she starts to reveal a little information about her past. This is evidenced by the fact that she eventually does tell him more and more. Plus, this bit doesn't reveal that much, nor compromise her safety.
Corrected entry: Martin returns to the empty beach house to looks for clues about Laura's disappearance. While there, he goes through boxes of Laura's papers. But why would these boxes be at the beach house, instead of at the couple's main house in Boston? Or why would he cart them all the way to Cape Cod when he could just look at them in the main house?
Correction: This was a character choice. Simply because something seems odd is not reason enough for it not to happen.
Corrected entry: In the scene where Julia Roberts is on the bus to Iowa, when she is on the bus, she is seated on the right side of the bus. When they show her traveling into town, she is seated on the left side of the bus.
Correction: There is plenty of time for Laura/Sara to change seats if she desires to.
Corrected entry: Laura cuts off her hair before putting on the wig. But when she gets to Iowa it's practically the same length it was before.
Correction: She chopped her extensions off. In the beginning of the movie you can see where her real hair starts and ends.
Corrected entry: After Laura is presumed dead, her husband receives a call from the woman at the YWCA to offer her condolences. This is what tips him off to the fact that she planned her "death". But how would the woman know Laura's real name, let alone her home phone number? Laura was always careful to travel under an alias after she left her husband. It seems unlikely that she would give her true identity and home phone number to the organization where she covertly took the swimming and self-defense classes that ultimately helped her fake her death.
Correction: When one signs up for a gym membership, one needs a valid ID and a credit card. Laura didn't change her identity until after she faked her death. So the lady from the Y had her current information.
Correction: It is possible that Laura's mother is paying for her own upkeep. It's never mentioned whether she had money or not.
Her mother's care might be paid for by long-term care insurance, or is covered by Medicaid, for those below a certain income level. Her mother might also have had a house that she sold and uses that as income.
raywest ★