Making a movie is a big budget process that will drive some people to the end of their wits. Making movies can take you across the globe, make you spend hours of your time caught up in escapism, only to be sad when it all ends. Still, that doesn’t mean that movies are perfect. Today we are going to look at the biggest movie mistakes that will break your suspension of disbelief.
‘American Sniper’ – The Fake Baby
Bradley Cooper’s turn in the dramatized story of sniper Chris Kyle is something to behold. While 99% of the film is Oscar worthy there is a sequence which features Cooper interacting with a clearly fake prop baby. Apparently the actual baby ‘actor’ was sick and couldn’t work.
American Sniper The Fake Baby
‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ – The Cowboy Crew Member
Pirates of the Caribbean probably drove up the total cholesterol of America with how much popcorn the film sold at the box office. There is a particularly riveting scene where Captain Jack Sparrow hollers out, “On deck, you scabrous dogs.” After that line is delivered you see the characters run out of scene, leaving a crew member with a cowboy hat on in the scene. What editor forgot to fix this?
Pirates Of The Caribbean The Cowboy Crew Member
‘Grease’ – The Magic Lightswitch
In a movie with a flying car we aren’t sure that nitpicking this really matters. Still, we feel obliged to mention the scene where a waitress totally misses the light switch when walking into the kitchen. Lights come on, anyway.
Grease The Magic Lightswitch
‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ – Infamous Head Bump
Remember that shot in Star Wars IV: A New Hope when a Storm Trooper extra bangs his head on a sliding door? Yeah, that was a total mistake but it still got left in the film. The sequence summarizes Storm Troopers pretty well, however. Someone send a gourmet fruit basket to that poor extra.
Star Wars A New Hope Infamous Head Bump
‘Gladiator’ – Motorized Chariot
Gladiator is likely the best revenge story ever told and it features the most macho sequences of all time. Still, the film had its fair share of technical errors. During a fight in the Coliseum a chariot overturns, showcasing a gas canister that had fueled the scene. The editor never cut it out. Whoops.
Gladiator Motorized Chariot
’10 Things I Hate About You’ – The Archery Scene
There’s a moment where Bianca shoots her gym teacher with an arrow. The teacher sends a student running for help. The student runs off but stops just short of exiting frame. The actor thought she was out of the shoot. Big mistake!
10 Things I Hate About You The Archery Scene
‘Dirty Dancing’ – Magic Gearshift
Patrick Swayze and his car is a pretty cool package in Dirty Dancing. In fact, the vehicle is pretty much magical — numerous scenes show the gear shift in park while the actor is driving.
Dirty Dancing Magic Gearshift
‘Pulp Fiction’ – Bullet Holes
In the infamous ‘English, do you speak it?’ sequence there are a mess of issues going on just beneath the surface. The most erroneous of these errors is the fact that the wall is covered with bullet holes before the shoot out even takes place.
Pulp Fiction Bullet Holes
‘North by Northwest’ — Mount Rushmore Shootout
Prop guns are loud, any actor will tell you that. In the shooting sequence at Mount Rushmore a child extra in the background covers his ears — before the gun ever goes off. The kid probably had to sit through the same prop shot multiple times, thus causing this gaffe.
North By Northwest Mount Rushmore Shootout
‘Braveheart’ – Watch for Cars
Filming a sweeping epic period piece is going to be tough, especially when you have hundreds of extras on hand. As a result you can see a ton of minor technical mistakes during the fights. You can also catch cars in the background at times. Pay special attention during Murron’s funeral.
Braveheart – Watch For Cars
‘Bad Boys’ – The Camera Man
Easily one of the biggest mistakes of all time is in the film Bad Boys starring Sean Penn. Note: this is not the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence buddy cop film. In any event there is a huge fight scene where Sean Penn is in a fight. For the duration of the sequence you can see a camera man front and center getting the close up shots. So hard to miss that we have to assume it was some sort of ‘hidden in plain sight’ theory.
Bad Boys The Camera Man
‘Dallas Buyers Club’ – The Lambo
Was this the official start of Matthew McConaughey’s return to the elite tier in Hollywood? In any event, that is neither here nor there. The film is set in 1985 but for some reaon a 2011 Lamborghini Aventador adorns the walls of the main character’s office.
Dallas Buyers Club The Lambo
‘Back to the Future Part III’ – Potty Break Kid
Doc Brown is boarding a train in Part III while he is talking to Marty. In the background you see two kids and a dog watching the action. One of the child actors, played by Dannel Evans, is emphatically waving and pointing at his crotch. The leading theory? The actor needed to use the bathroom.
Back To The Future Part Iii Potty Break Kid
‘Pretty Woman’ – Transforming Breakfast
Nobody goes to watch Pretty Woman in order to take in an auter’s performance. Still, there is a scene where Robert’s is eating a croissant at breakfast and it magically changes into a pancake whenever the camera breaks. Come on, that’s an easy one to catch.
Pretty Woman Transforming Breakfast
‘Tombstone’ – Fake Rain
You can tell that the crew had to engineer some rain for a number of those gorgeous, wet shots in Tombstone. Look at how the rain pools when the camera looks down the street. Generally the farther away from the camera the drier the set will be, showing that the rain was hosed in.
Tombstone – Fake Rain
‘Star Wars: Episode V’ – Vanishing Jacket
Right before Han Solo is thrown into the carbonite there is a case of vanishing wardrobe. The Storm Trooper who is holding Solo has a jacket on which changes almost every single shot. Lucas tries to fix it on the DVD but it is still jarring.
Star Wars Episode V Vanishing Jacket
‘Wizard of Oz’ – Changing Shoes
You could say that Dorothy’s shoes play a pretty big part in the film. So when the Scarecrow gets hit by a bunch of apples, why does Dorothy’s footware change from ruby red to velvet black? Her slippers probably weren’t supposed to be in the shot so they didn’t have her wearing her expensive props.
Wizard Of Oz Changing Shoes
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ – Modern Extras
In the scene following Marion’s truck exploding you have Indy drinking at a bar. In the background you can see a guy wearing jeans and a white modern shirt walking around the crowd. Need we say more?
Raiders Of The Lost Ark – Modern Extras
‘The Dark Knight’ – Newspaper Typo
In a newspaper clipping we see a headline referencing a cat burglar in a jewel heist. What’s wrong with that? Well, the writer misspelled ‘Heist’ and the editors let it through — making it the focal point of a scene. Yikes.
The Dark Knight Newspaper Typo
‘Inglourious Basterds’ – Vanishing Insignia
In the infamous ‘Bear Jew’ baseball scene we have a noticeable prop problem. Feldwebel, the German who is beaten to death, sees his uniform lose and regain insignia between almost every shot. Distracting and sloppy. Don’t tell Tarantino!
Inglourious Basterds Vanishing Insignia
‘Alien’ – Bishop’s Floor
When Newt is getting dragged across the floor we can see Bishop reaching out to try and help her. Unfortunately at this point in time Bishop is cut clean in half. More unfortunately we can see that the actor is clearly standing in a hole in the floor to make himself look cut in half.
Alien Bishops Floor
‘Back to the Future’ – Marty McFly’s Guitar
Michael J. Fox and Back to the Future make the list and we so apologize! Specifically when Marty jets back to 1955, he’s strumming a sick song at his mother and father’s prom night however that guitar of his, the ES-345, wasn’t around until 1959.
Back To The Future – Marty McFly’s Guitar
‘She’s All That’ – Tattoo
90’s fans will always be thankful to Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook for gracing us with the film She’s All That. But we aren’t so thankful for this slip up. Jodi Lyn O’Keefe plays Taylor in the film and early on, we see her getting a heart tattoo. However when it’s prom time toward the end of the film, her very permanent tattoo is gone. OH.
She’s All That – Tattoo
‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’ – Lily Potter’s Eyes
Yes, we are prepared to receive tons of hate mail when we include one of the great Harry Potter films in our list, but uhh, it has to be this way! Throughout the book series, the hero Harry Potter is ways told that he has eyes exactly the same shade as his mother’s. They are a wonderful shade of green; however, in the final film, the actress playing Lily Potter has none other than brown eyes? Wait, what?
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Lily Potter’s Eyes
‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ – Chess
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is hands down, one of the most hilarious films ever made, and we’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. Kidding, kind of. Although we do have to mention the scene when Jim Carrey is playing chess but then he isn’t. Yup, our heads are spinning at this mistake.
Ace Ventura When Nature Calls – Chess
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ – Reflection
Raiders of the Lost Ark is back at it and this time with the snake scene where you can actually see the snake’s refection in the glass separating it from Harrison Ford. Yikes, what a mistake!
Raiders Of The Lost Ark – Reflection
‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ – Pointer
In 2015, we were graced with the spectacular Star Wars: Episode VII and Daisy Ridley’s performance as Rey wasn’t so bad either. Until of course, what transpired in the photo below.
Star Wars Episode VII – Pointer
‘Frozen’ – Hair Through Shoulder
Unless you want to watch Frozen again (or like the 1,479th time) then maybe it’s just best that you take our word for it. In any case, while Elsa is singing ‘Let It Go’, you can actually watch as her hair goes straight through her shoulder. Her shoulder, people. W-E-I-R-D.
Frozen – Hair Through Shoulder
‘The X Files’ – Blank Papes
As a massive fan of the spooky and brilliant television show The X Files, this is a mistake that could have been easily avoided. David Duchovny, aka Fox Mulder, is pictured reading a newspaper and we know, that’s totally normal. Apart from the fact that the newspaper has LITERALLY NOTHING in it. Nothing.
The X Files – Blank Papers
‘The Lord of the Rings’ – Clean Axe
Oh great, The Lord of the Rings makes the list…again. Wait, is that actually a great thing? Probably not. In any case, we have to point out that an axe cannot just clean itself nor can it do it that quickly. Way to drop the ball, guys.
The Lord Of The Rings- Clean Axe
‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ – Box Switch
No doubt about it Jim Carrey and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective are utterly hilarious but the reason they’re on this list isn’t so funny. Just take a look at the bubble wrap in the photo below and it’ll sum up everything you need to do about this silly mistake.
Ace Ventura Pet Detective – Box Switch
‘Jurassic World’ – Nice Watch
Remember that intense scene when a staff member needs to be rescued after falling into a raptor pit? (That would be a rhetorical question, obviously.) Anyways, when it shows the scene, Hoskins watch shows it’s 2pm but right after it shows that it’s 1pm – nope, not a time travel film either, just a mistake.
Jurassic World – Nice Watch
‘Fast And The Furious’ – Tire(s)
Fast And The Furious makes the cut, unfortunately. There is a shot which shows the following truck and its two back tires. So can someone explain to me why in the very next shot, it has just one? No, it didn’t explode or anything like that. Ugh, what a mistake.
Fast And The Furious – Tires
‘Titanic’ – Mole Moved
Trust me, if you’re not infuriated by this mistake then you clearly don’t love Kate Winslet or the Titanic film as much as I do. Which I guess is okay… Anyways, Winslet plays one the main characters in the film and for some reason, her mole changes places on her face!!!! There aren’t enough exclamation points to sum up how annoyed I truly am.
Titanic – Mole Moved
‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ – Medallion
First of all, everyone saw in the show that Elizabeth was drowning and at the same time, the medallion was clearly shown out of her corset. However when she’s brought onto the ship, it’s snugly inside her corset which doesn’t make any sense.
Pirates Of The Caribbean – Medallion
‘Shawshank Redemption’ – Moving Bullets
Sorry but unfortunately the brilliant Shawshank Redemption makes the list. Either the warden has the speed of Superman or has some wild OCD because thee is no logical reason why the bullets appear as scattered and in the next shot are in a neat row.
Shawshank Redemption – Moving Bullets
‘Home Alone 3’ – Black Bar
Nope, we are not talking about the iconic, original Home Alone flicks but rather the third one which was released in 1997. Essentially in a scene, he opens the door and it clearly shows that there is nothing on the floor, however in the very next shot, a black bar is shown…
Home Alone 3 – Black Bar
‘The Wizard of Oz’ – Hair Mystery
Oh man, a classic film such as The Wizard of Oz makes the list…again. Essentially, we’re here to talk about Dorothy and her hair. I know, I know, sounds lame but we just have to. Basically Dorothy’s hair changes length in a mere few shots which just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.
The Wizard Of Oz – Hair Mystery
‘Twilight’ – Buttons
Nope, it’s not just vampires that a problem here but also, witchcraft? YUP. Edward Cullen’s coat shows a button which is skewed but then straight, after, it’s done up properly. Smooth.
Twilight – Buttons
‘Batman Returns’ – Warm Enough?
We hate to point out the obvious here, but you can’t just switch from being totally bundled up with a coat and scarf to well, not. Right? Right.
Batman Returns – Warm Enough
‘300: Rise of an Empire’ – Apples to Apples
Nope, so not a typo! 300: Rise of an Empire really does make the list and all because of an apple. AN APPLE. One scene in particular, you see a red apple and in the immediate shot that follows, it’s green. Amateur hour, anyone?
300 Rise Of An Empire – Apples To Apples
‘Iron Man 2’ – Bloody
Iron Man is a work of art, but hey you already knew that. Anyways, let’s move on. No way could that much blood just disappear in a second, no way.
Iron Man 2 – Bloody
‘Twilight’ – Reflection
Yup, Twilight makes a comeback. This time it deals with a boom mike during the truck scene. Maybe it seems unrelated to you, but here’s why it is matters. Basically, in the truck window, you can clearly see the reflection of the boom mike – such an avoidable mistake.
Twilight – Reflection
‘Matrix’ – The Pre-Broken Pillars
When Neo and Agent Smith tangle in the warehouse during the first Matrix film there is a shot where a stone pillar gets punched clean through. Neo ducks under Smith’s blow, revealing that the stone pillar was already busted.
Matrix – The Pre Broken Pillars
‘Star Trek’ – Insignia
So as far as movie mistakes are concerned, here’s one that kept happening ALL THROUGHOUT the film. Basically, the insignia on his jacket kept appearing, then disappearing, then appearing, then disappearing, and so on. Come on, now, that’s just amateur.
Star Trek – Insignia
‘Lord of the Rings’/The Hobbit – Legolas’ Eyes
Yeah, we don’t need many reasons to look into the eyes of Orlando Bloom but we even noticed this one. During the original Lord of the Rings trilogy you could see that Legolas’ eyes were a bright, clear blue. However, in The Hobbit films his eyes are a dark brown — despite the same actor, director, and character.
Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit Legolas Eyes
‘Reservoir Dogs’ – Changing Handcuffs
Marvin Nash is about to have a bad day. He is dragged to the hideout with his hands cuffed behind his back. Cue a momentary beatdown. Next shot shows Nash’s hands cuffed in front of his body. What happened?
Reservoir Dogs Changing Handcuffs
‘Teen Wolf’ – Your Fly is Down
During the big scene in the gym the crowd is going crazy when the camera inexplicably picks up an extra with his fly down. The camera stays on this extra for an uncomfortable length of time and nobody is sure why his fly was down for the shot.
Teen Wolf Your Fly Is Down
Oceans Eleven – Switch Up
Glass. Plate. Glass. Sorry Brad Pitt, but the case of your utensils changing from scene to scene is too much to keep up with. Should we mention this is the kind of mistake that could have been avoided? Didn’t think so.
Oceans Eleven Switch Up
You’ve Got Mail – Missing Olive
Welcome to the list, Tom Hanks. As you can see from the top photo, there is clearly an olive in the martini glass. However in the bottom photo, which is the very next shot, the olive is gone.
Youve Got Mail Missing Olive