Continuity mistake: At the graduation ceremony, a woman cuts a slice of cake and passes it to someone and then, without slicing the cake again, she somehow has another slice to pass to someone else.
KeyZOid
16th Feb 2014
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: She actually hands the person an empty clear glass dish (the kind used to serve the first piece of cake); the person must have wanted the dish to get something else, not cake.
19th Mar 2020
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Factual error: Jack Crawford lists Clarice Starling's accomplishments saying that she has a double major in Psych (ology) and Criminology and graduated "magna." Clarice talking with the creepy Dr. Chilton establishes further that she graduated from UVA, where she also followed Crawford's seminar. Problem is, the University of Virginia did not offer a Criminology major in the 90s (does now, but began only in the 00s) and to this day it does not have Latin honors. (00:06:30)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Some colleges/universities allow "self-designed" majors. If UVA offered enough Criminology courses at the time, it would be possible for Clarice to have this double major.
15th Jan 2019
Mystic River (2003)
Character mistake: When Jimmy kills Dave, he says that he killed Just Ray when his wife was pregnant with Brendan, but she was pregnant with Ray Jr (Brendan's brother).
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Jimmy says pregnant wife, little Brendan.
Suggested correction: My father used to tell stories about his nieces and would constantly get their names mixed up. People often get siblings names switched around, and that is when they are in their right mind. Jimmy had been drinking, was still emotional over his daughter, and was telling the story with full intention of murdering Dave within minutes. Fully understandable that he would make this rather common error.
It might be understandable, but not so much within the context of this movie. Would the writer deliberately include in the script that a character will use the wrong name because it does happen sometimes in real life? Maybe if this were a movie about dementia or "Grumpy Old Men", but it doesn't seem to fit in this movie. [I know - not all elderly people have memory problems or lapses.].
14th Oct 2020
Red (2010)
Continuity mistake: In the beginning Frank wakes up at 6am. He walks downstairs and the clock in the kitchen shows 7am.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: I considered the 7:00 AM time on the clock as representing the passage of one hour since Red got up. Red is shown leaving his bedroom, walking down the hall while putting on his robe, and possibly entering the bathroom or other room. Perhaps more significantly, when Red enters the room where the later time (7:00) can be seen, he is no longer wearing the robe plus has a cup of coffee with him (which took time to prepare). After this, he goes to another room to exercise. These activities probably are his ways of passing time until he can call about his pension check - the office might not open until 8:00-9:00 AM.
14th Aug 2013
Red (2010)
Factual error: In the very first shot of the movie, a clock is shown ticking. The time on the clock reads 05:59:56. It is obviously AM because a few seconds later at 06:00:00, Frank wakes up as if it was morning. As Frank sits up, clear daylight is visible outside of the window. This scene is supposed to be set during winter. We know this because there are many Christmas decorations. Since this is meant to be winter, it should still be dark at that time of day. (00:00:40)
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: At the beginning of the movie it's September or early October if latest in the year. At Cleveland's latitude there's enough sunlight at 6am to experience such lighting through a window facing south.
First, what in the film places the opening scene in Sept or Oct? There's too much snow on the ground for it to be either of those months (it doesn't snow in September and rarely in October, but only late October). Second, even if it was set in October, the sun doesn't rise until around 7:30AM or 8:00AM.
I disagree. I think what Bishop73 wrote above is correct. The opening scene at 6:00 AM showed daylight, which would be too early for October, November, and December in Ohio. The movie apparently begins in December based on the amount of Christmas decorations in the neighborhood. Sunrise might be between 7:30 - 8:00 AM and twilight is about 30 minutes prior to sunrise. It simply would not be that light out at 6:00 AM.
13th Dec 2018
Common mistakes
Corrected entry: Movies, and TV shows often treat jails and prisons as if they are the same thing. They're not. Jails are typically run by local law enforcement, and local government agencies, and are designed to hold inmates awaiting trial or serving short sentences for misdemeanor crimes. Prisons on the other hand are facilities typically operated by either a state government, the federal bureau of prisons. Prisons are designed to hold inmates serving longer term sentences for more serious crimes.
Correction: This is not necessarily a film/script mistake. Even the American English speakers, who have this distinction often speak in metonymy and metaphor a lot. For example, when they say "it won't make a difference when you go to jail", they really mean "it won't make a difference when the authorities catch you." It does not matter whether the culprit is sent to a jail, sent to a prison, incarcerated at home, receives capital punishment or is forced to pay fines and do community service.
I would agree that it is a common mistake. "Jail" and "prison" are often used interchangeably or incorrectly. The "Corrected Entry" above gives the basic distinctions between the terms and - more often than not - the word "jail" is used for both jail and prison.
17th Oct 2006
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Other mistake: The news reporter who comes to interview the family after Cecilia's death tells Mrs. Lisbon she's from Channel 2, when in fact we can see from her news report moments later a Channel 8 logo on the screen (and on her truck).
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: While acknowledging the Ch 2/Ch 8 inconsistency, I'd assert that this does not necessarily constitute a continuity mistake. First, the reporter stated that she is "doing a piece for Channel 2." Lydia Perl could be a freelance journalist or reporter, working for more than one station. Or, she could be a full-time employee for one station and part-time for another, or even part-time for several different stations. Second, it is not shown if she drove a personal vehicle or arrived in a Channel 8 van (like she does in a later scene), so it is possible she was working for Channel 2 at the time but her reports were shared by the Associated Press or whatever. Third, the station being viewed when Ch 8 was posted in the corner was not necessarily tuned to Ch 8. Fourth, with multiple cable and satellite TV stations, it is possible that Ch 2 on one network is Ch 8 on another. Had Lydia Perl not told Mrs. Lisbon that she was "doing a piece for Ch 2", I'd agree that it is a continuity mistake.
23rd Apr 2002
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Continuity mistake: During the scene when Peter Sisten is eating dinner with the Lisbons, Cecilia is not wearing her bandages on her arms. In the scenes immediately before (Cecilia in the psychiatrist's office) and after (the girls lounging on the front yard) Cecilia has the bandages on.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: I'm not sure if your entry isn't correct, but I found the beginning scenes confusing and got the impression that they were not meant to be sequential. There appeared to be flashbacks after it was stated that "Cecilia was the first to go" and Cecilia told the one doctor, "Obviously... you've never been a thirteen-year-old girl." The neighborhood boys were talking about things that had happened (going over evidence), including Dominic wearing sunglasses and jumping off the roof, Peter going to dinner at the Lisbon's house, and Paul's story about getting into houses and being the first to find Cecilia on her first attempt. These seemed like tidbits about boys' behaviors that offered some explanation as to why Cecilia did not want to grow up in that kind of society. I think the story picks up again when Cecilia and two sisters are outside by the tree - where Cecilia is wearing the wrist wraps again.
24th Oct 2020
Home Alone (1990)
Corrected entry: If the water Kevin poured on the steps froze almost instantly, it would be too cold outside for the tar he put on some steps to still be soft and sticky enough to adhere to Marvin's feet.
Correction: The tarred steps are inside the house, in the basement. The temperature outside is irrelevant as far as they are concerned.
I was thinking it was done outside in the dark. Now I'd question if tar would stay that sticky - even inside a basement. When the temperature outside is below freezing, my basement is relatively cold.
4th Jul 2004
Mask (1985)
Trivia: Director Peter Bogdanovich's first choice for the part of Rocky Dennis was Anthony Michael Hall. Hall turned down the part because he didn't like the idea of hiding his face during the whole film with make-up. Eric Stoltz was then cast instead.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: I don't know if you are right or wrong, but I thought Eric was given the role because he sang "Rock-y" during his audition. [I'm not really asserting that you are wrong; I had to pick that option in order to be able to reply here.].
11th Jun 2013
Bully (2001)
Corrected entry: Ali says her Mustang is a 5.0 but it wasn't available in the year her car is.
Correction: I think this was a "deliberate" mistake by the writer (s), not a "character" mistake per se. It was part of the script because when she said that it was a 5.0, Bobby corrected her by saying that it was NOT a 5.0.
24th Jul 2012
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Corrected entry: When Lloyd is reading the paper about Mary, he doesn't know the word "The." But earlier in the movie, he reads the word "Samsonite" on the case and the message in the restroom from sea bass, and later on he reads the newspaper article as he leaves the bar.
Correction: That is not a mistake, character or other - it is part of the humor in the movie. It is an example of his "dumbness." It isn't even a "deliberate mistake" - it is the intentional use of a simple word to make the way he reads ironic. If he can read the word "Samsonite", isn't it silly or funny when he struggles with "the"?
24th Apr 2004
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Continuity mistake: Lloyd reads the article about Mary and can't even pronounce the word "the", yet when Harry says look on the briefcase for her name, he says "Samsonite" with no problems, and Lloyd can easily read the "Man Walks On The Moon" newspaper headline in the hotel bar.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: That isn't a continuity mistake - it is meant to be funny or ironic... or part of the "dumbness." Humor is often comprised of violations of expectations. He can read a big word like "Samsonite" but not a three-letter word like "the." (Less likely, it is also plausible that he didn't actually read the word "Samsonite" but recognized it as a name-brand symbol).
10th Sep 2020
Good Boys (2019)
Other mistake: If the Good Boys gave the cop the Molly in the vitamin bottle, where did they get the vitamin bottle they gave to the girls in the mall parking lot?
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: They got it from Benji when the girls dropped them off at the frat house.
3rd Dec 2018
Common mistakes
Factual error: Rainfall in movies and television is almost always depicted as a sudden and heavy downpour (sometimes cued by a crack of thunder and/or lightning strike) as opposed to gradually building up to it. This is pretty rare in real life.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: Cloudbursts and showers are that way, and they are pretty common in some areas, specially near mountains. I don't know about New York but in several Latin American countries they are not eyebrow rising worth.
I'd add that along with the rain suddenly pouring, it falls in straight lines - with the exact same distance between streams - that are perpendicular to the ground. (All rainfall is vertical, never at an angle).
8th Jan 2020
Common mistakes
Corrected entry: Characters that are supposed to be blood relatives, but have no familial resemblance.
Correction: Blood relatives do not always resemble each other.
That's not really a "common mistake", though since it's never a mistake to have blood relatives that do not resemble each other.
I mostly agree. Family members often look too different to be biologically related. Even if an effort is made, for example, to have a son look like his father, some things don't sync - like a different face shape/bone structure or skin tone (not due to tanning). One example of father/son dissimilarities are in The War of the Worlds - the boy playing Tom Cruise's son has a completely different facial shape/structure. Regarding skin tone, in Boyhood the sister of Mason has a different skin tone than the rest of the family - and it stands out.
I'm probably a bit sensitive to this since my family members don't all have a strong resemblance to each other, but it's absolutely possible, especially if your family tree is diverse in genetics/ appearance. It happens more often than not in movies, but it's not a mistake. (And who's to say that in many of these cases people weren't adopted?).
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.