Factual error: At the art exhibition, Eleanor wears a plastic name badge which looks rather modern for this period. (00:36:15)
Factual error: In the scene where Julianne Moore realizes her husband will miss supper hour with the family again, she decides to bring his dinner to him at the office. The housekeeper hands her the packaged dinner in a square Tupperware container. It is from the early 1980's, and is the color style persimmon - a deep rust red. Tupperware did not make this container shape, nor color, in 1957-1958 period. (00:22:15)
Continuity mistake: During Frank's appointment with Dr. Bowman there's a sculpture with an arrow on the desk in all shots on the doctor, but the sculpture isn't there when we see Frank. (00:29:15)
Continuity mistake: Before Cathy goes to the office to take Frank his dinner, she suggests Sybil wrap up his meal. However, she hands her own plate to Sybil (she was sitting at that place eating only minutes before). Frank's meal is still sitting on the table in his place when Cathy takes the Tupperware and leaves.
Continuity mistake: When Frank leaves the movie theater and looks after a man who goes up some stairs he suddenly wears his coat he was holding over his arm. (00:15:05)
Continuity mistake: When Cathy talks to Sybil and the kids when she gets home after picking up Janice the leaf shadows on the car keep changing or disappear completely for some shots. It's similar in the scene where Cathy talks to Eleanor about homosexuality. (00:02:45 - 00:30:35)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Kathy first spots Mr. Deagan and challenges him on the patio, she is standing above and looking down at him as seen by the reporter and photographer from the living room. In the next shot, close-up, their heads are on a par. Cut back to the living room, she's again looking down at him as seen by the reporter. Close-up again, even again. Come to think of it, the director may have intended this. (00:10:55)
Continuity mistake: When the couple return from New Year in Florida, the autumn leaves are still falling - as they do throughout the film. (01:15:10)
Continuity mistake: When the for a change complete Whitaker family is having dinner, David's right hand alternates between on the table, holding his glass of milk, and lying in his lap. (00:34:35)
Continuity mistake: The movie starts in the fall, in Connecticut (New England), so the bright red leaves on the trees are just fine, although the bright green grass is a little less likely. By Christmas there are a few fallen brown leaves, but most of the leaves are still on the trees and still bright red. The grass is still bright green, too, which, considering it would by rights at least have gone dormant and at most been covered by snow, is a bit odd. In early January, when the young boys are coming home from football practice (normally that would have wrapped up in November, but I suppose the warm weather extended the season), they are coming home in sunshine, when it suddenly starts to snow - on the bright green grass and bright red leaves. And at the end, when it's supposed to be March or so, apparently there are roses in bloom (there's a freshly cut one on Cathy's desk) and the apple trees are in blossom, which normally happens in late April or so. I guess Hartford in 1957-58 was the first place to exhibit signs of global warming.
Continuity mistake: When Cathy and her friends are having daiquiris, Cathy brings the pitcher around and says "would anyone like another daiquiri?" and the first woman refuses - and so does Nancy. As Cathy pours one for El, the first woman raises her glass to her lips. The camera shot changes to El and she says "all right." Now the other woman's drink is on the table without enough time for the change. Also, Nancy's glass now has more in it, even though Cathy didn't pour her any.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Dennis Quaid first meets with his psychiatrist, check out the water level in the glass on the desk. It changes from shot to shot. (00:29:15)
Continuity mistake: The morning after Frank hits Cathy in the face, she rearranges her bangs so that the mark is covered. As she is talking with her friend El (on the front porch) and nervously touching her hair, the mark becomes visible to El. In the next shot, Cathy's bangs are smoothed over her forehead, covering the mark, even though she hasn't touched her hair again. (00:47:50)
Factual error: In the final scene, sidewalk cuts (where a portion of the curb is lowered to permit wheelchair access) are visible, but those were not used in 1957. (01:38:05)
Factual error: Cathy and Frank briefly discuss the fact that he can't remember her 'carpool days.' The term carpool originated in the early 1970's. (01:32:00)
Plot hole: The boys who chase Sarah pick up large stones from a carefully tended lawn, and they find them between the leaves without a bit of searching around. (01:15:45)
Revealing mistake: When Sarah is hit on the head by a stone she's not bleeding, and the injury looks rather dried-up. (01:16:25)
Factual error: In the scene where Julianne Moore's husband misses supper, she decides to bring his dinner to him at the office. In one shot, she's handing the housekeeper the husband's plate. In the very next shot, the housekeeper hands her back the dinner covered in a Tupperware container. The housekeeper would have had to have dumped the food messily into the container to have given it back to her that fast. (00:22:15)
Continuity mistake: At the art exhibition Cathy spots Raymond explaining a painting to his daughter. She joins them, but now they are standing in front of a different painting, and the earlier one is nowhere to be seen. (00:37:35)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Cathy meets Raymond to say good-bye the time is reversed: When Raymond receives her call at his shop it's almost dark. When we see her walking up to the diner where he is waiting it's quite a bit brighter, and finally, when they talk in the street, the man who shouts at him to take his hands off her is standing in the sun. (01:06:40 - 01:08:55)
