Continuity mistake: When Victor is talking to Matthews and Gracie about her not having any talent, it shows Gracie in the background stuffing two doughnuts down her dress. Victor gets both of these back from her, but it never showed her hiding the third doughnut that the dog smelled. The way the scene worked, there was a shot of Gracie stuffing the two doughnuts down her dress, and then a shot of her walking up to Victor and Matthews, so there would've been no time for her to stash the third one. (00:48:05)
Continuity mistake: When Gracie is letting Miss Rhode Island out of her room after they drink the hot chocolate, she is holding the blue mug that she was drinking from. As she turns off the light and walks toward her bed, the mug is now on her nightstand. (00:45:45)
Continuity mistake: During one of the dancing sketches, the girls are carrying torches like the statue of liberty, but we see very much later in the competition that night some guy is putting the torches in their stand. Someone had to be holding the torches all through the talent competition. (01:36:35)
Continuity mistake: When the opening credits are rolling and Gracie reads a book at the Russian restaurant, she holds it with either one or two hands depending on the shot.
Continuity mistake: When the movie begins and young Gracie watches the bullies, note a kid in black on the left: He is either standing up or resting on a tyre, depending on the shot.
Continuity mistake: When Gracie is trying to get the crown of the winner's head her Bra strap is down from her shoulder but in the next shot she takes of the crown her strap is now on her shoulder.
Continuity mistake: During the swimsuit preliminaries, there is a sequence where we see several contestants on a small stand in the foreground and the next contestant to come up to the stand in the background. Well after we see Cheryl, Miss Rhode Island on the stand, there's someone else behind her ready to come up right away because she's next in line, but instead the next contestant is Gracie. (01:04:10)
Answer: It is an image Victor Melling conjures in an effort to elicit a calm, zen-like state for Grace. He is trying to assist her to focus on the competition, rather than her fear of walking the stage in a two piece swimsuit.
Michael Albert