Continuity mistake: In the scene where Simon is sketching/drawing Carol, he rips off the hand piece of his cast so he can move his hand freely. When they are getting out of the car once they get home, you can see that the hand piece of cast that Simon ripped off is back on his hand and the cast is undamaged. (01:49:30 - 01:54:40)
Continuity mistake: In Simon's sketch, Carol is lying the opposite way to the way she is really lying. (01:49:00)
Continuity mistake: When Melvin asks his publisher if her husband doctor can help Spence her hairdo keeps changing between tucked behind her right ear and falling loose over her cheek. (00:50:55)
Continuity mistake: When Melvin and Frank are talking about taking Simon to Baltimore the flowers on the table are yellow and red. When Carol is reading her note to Melvin, they're orange and purple. The colour isn't off because Carol's top looks the same as before. (01:16:00 - 01:17:30)
Continuity mistake: In the hospital, Jackie goes to give Simon her mirror so he can look at himself, and her green purse is scrunched up under her arm. As the shot changes to a wider angle, the purse is now hanging over her stomach.
Continuity mistake: When Carol apologizes to Melvin over the phone her watch rotates around the wrist while she is holding the receiver. (01:56:05)
Continuity mistake: Carol drives the Saab convertible to Baltimore, and she expresses to pull over the car, the rooftop is down. When Carol actually pulls over the Saab the car has the roof on. (01:26:40)
Continuity mistake: When the movie ends and Melvin kisses Carol, his hand changes position between one frame and another.
Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the movie, when Simon asks Melvin if he has seen his dog, he has a towel thrown over his shoulder which is differently arranged in shots from the front and from the back. (00:02:15)
Continuity mistake: In the first diner scene Melvin sits down and takes off his glasses. He starts fiddling with the button of his breast pocket. When the camera angle changes his hands are somewhere else and the pocket is still buttoned. When it changes again he is putting his glasses into the now unbuttoned pocket. (00:12:20)
Continuity mistake: When we see Carol writing the thankyou note, the page is numbered (23), there are 8 lines of writing on the page and she says she is on the last page. When she is looking up the word 'conscience' in the dictionary, the paper is visible again but it is a different sheet - there is no number and there are only 4 lines of writing. It is the page she is about to write on because the last words written are 'have it on my ' - 'conscience' following this phrase makes sense. (01:09:00)
Continuity mistake: When Melvin goes to the restaurant after seeing the psychiatrist and is not served by Carol he bangs on the table and tells the waitress to go and get her. The flowers in the vase on the table change twice in consecutive shots. Pre-bang = yellow, orange and red. Post-bang 1 = white, 2 yellow and red. Post-bang 2 = 2 white and 2 yellow. (00:41:40)
Continuity mistake: In the first diner scene we see Carol dealing with some guests and she is not wearing a watch. When she passes by Melvin, who is waiting impatiently for his table, she suddenly has one on her wrist. (00:10:55)
Continuity mistake: After Simon does his imitation of Melvin, he apologizes to Verdell and we see him put his right hand to his forehead - and the same shot from behind him a split second later shows his hand to his mouth.
Continuity mistake: When Melvin gets up to go give Simon some Chinese soup, the clock reads 3:22am. The next scene in Carol's apartment is supposedly later on the same night, yet the babysitter has just arrived, her child is still up, and she and her mom are getting ready to go out for the night (even telling the babysitter that there's pizza in the freezer they can cook later). We know it is supposed to be the same night because in the ensuing scene, Frank tells Melvin he heard he "brought Simon chicken soup last night." (01:04:25)
Continuity mistake: On the way to Baltimore in the car while Jack Nicholson is discussing noodle salad the convertible top is both up and down during different shots of the scene.
Continuity mistake: On the trip to Baltimore when Carol tells Simon to wait to tell his story until she pulls over, the top of the car is down. When she's pulling over, the top is up.
Continuity mistake: When Frank forces Melvin to take in Verdell the dog (just after Simon has been beaten up), the camera follows Verdell as he explores Melvin's apartment alone. Melvin's grand piano at this stage has the lid open, but does not have the music rest up. Shortly afterwards, Melvin re-enters the apartment, prepares food for the dog, places the bowl on the floor in the sitting room, then walks over to sit down at the piano. Suddenly the piano's music rest is up. There is no way Melvin has had the time or opportunity to do this during this sequence.
Continuity mistake: When the car pulls over on the way to Baltimore, and Simon talks about his life, Carol's hair swaps from messy to brushed between frames.
Continuity mistake: When the movie ends, the curb is drenched in water, but when the couple starts walking it's completely dry.
Answer: It has everything to do with his mental illness. His OCD condition has kept him isolated with anti-social tendencies. He just finds it difficult to directly interact with people.
raywest