Factual error: When Reese Witherspoon's character is sitting at the desk reading, there is a cheerleading trophy and the cheerleader on it is wearing a mini skirt, - they didn't have mini skirts on the cheerleading outfits then. (01:08:20)
Factual error: You can see the 3 point line painted out on the basketball court, they never had 3 point lines in the 50s. (00:21:55)
Continuity mistake: When the brother and sister are arguing, it is supposedly 6:30. because that is when the marathon starts. But watch when he flips past the preview channel - it is showing shows for the 1 to 2:30 slot. (00:00:35 - 00:12:40)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where the angry people throw rocks through a painting of a naked woman on a store window, the first rock smashes right through the womans face. In the next two scenes, more rocks are thrown, but the womans face is again visible, and the first hole is above where it should be. (01:26:30)
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the film when Toby is wiping tears from Joan Allen's face, the tissues loom large between them and then disappear in the next shot.
Audio problem: When Bud is yelling at his sister in the school hallway by her locker, she complains about girls not being happy in poodle skirts and sweater sets. When the camera's point of view switches, her mouth is still moving even though she's stopped talking. (00:37:00)
Continuity mistake: Just before the scene where the mob smashes the window we see a shot of the sky, which is in colour, the clouds are pink with blue sky, yet every other shot with the sky in the background in the following scene the sky is once again black and white.
Continuity mistake: On the first day in Pleasantville, David and Jennifer walk past Mr Simpson's house and it is opposite an open area. After getting a date with Margaret, David runs across Mr Simpson's lawn and it is directly opposite David's house. (00:14:15 - 01:03:15)
Continuity mistake: The TV repair man is wearing a rather crumpled cap whose dents change several times during the scene in Jennifer's and David's living room. (00:09:40)
Continuity mistake: When David looks through the window down at his mother loading her car there is one shutter half down. Seen from outside all shutters are up. (00:08:10)
Continuity mistake: After arriving in Pleasantville, Jennifer looks over at a calendar on a desk. When they are called to breakfast there is a wide shot of the room and the desk does not have the calendar on it. (00:16:10)
Continuity mistake: When David and Jennifer fight over the remote control it flies off in a rather steep downward direction, but it hits the wall high up. (00:09:05)
Revealing mistake: The iron mark on Roy's shirt is obviously painted on. (01:16:20)
Continuity mistake: In the scene in the gym where Skip misses the basket, you see a close shot of the coach standing still and putting his arm in front of one of the players to stop the kid from touching the rolling ball. It then cuts to a far shot, and you can see the coach walking, not near any of the players. (00:24:20)
Continuity mistake: When Bud and Bill talk in the restaurant kitchen the way their caps are squeezed and dented change several times during the scene. (00:40:00)
Continuity mistake: When Mary-Sue and Skip sit in the car at Lovers' Lane her hand is rested on her knee. When the camera angle changes it's in her lap. (00:31:00)
Continuity mistake: After getting the remote control with oomph, David and Jennifer stand in front of the TV to run it on - they can be seen reflected in the screen. There is then a closeup of the TV but David and Jennifer are no longer reflected in it. (00:12:25)
Continuity mistake: In the first basketball scene, the coach says "Big game tomorrow." In the second basketball scene the next day, he says the game is next week.
Factual error: The flag on the fire engine has 50 stars on it. In 1958, the US had 48 states. (Alaska and Hawaii joined in Jan and Aug of 1959 respectively). NB. the flag shown outside the school earlier in the film is correct. (00:48:45)
Continuity mistake: Bud goes into the kitchen, and sees Betty when she has turned color. When she is seen from the back, her hair is still in black and white. When you see her colored face, her hair is brown. Once she is made up to be black and white again, her hair is once again without color.
Answer: We don't see much of the "real world" after David returns other than his conversation with his mother. I am sure in time she would have been worried but there seem to be many unanswered questions which might make it not so simple.
Lummie ★
Considering that a couple of days in Pleasantville turned out to be just an hour in the real world, it's possible Jennifer could spend 3-4 years in uni and cone back with it being just a weekend in the real world. David could just make up something in that period she's gone.
Actually if a couple of days is just an hour than 3-4 years is more than 2 weeks.
lionhead