Continuity mistake: When Cheryl emerges from the store and begins talking to the club representative distributing flyers, the lemonade she is holding has the cap off in one shot, then on in the next. It switches hands and then disappears entirely. The flyer she holds also switches hands.
Visible crew/equipment: While young Joan is lying in the field next to the sword, in the far right corner you can see a pair of legs and a camera lens pointed at the actress. (00:06:35)
Factual error: After showing a picture from 1955 when he was eight, the narrator (Shayne) states that he was fifteen by 1962. The story begins with his mother getting fired from her job at a potato chip factory and making the decision that night to move the next morning. The family moves from L.A. to Kingston, Idaho. Shayne's mother Fran tells Mr. Moon that they (she and whatever work her kids do for him around the house) want paid "minimum wage plus 10%" to pay for the land and when she gets hired at the bowling alley she is told the job pays "minimum wage" (plus any tips, which "ain't much"). Idaho did not establish a minimum wage until 1963, a year (or some months) later. The narrator even asserted at the beginning "This is a true story. It really happened to me." (00:20:03 - 00:23:47)
Factual error: The train liveries shown in the UK were well out of use by 1980. And the West Coast Railway (Company) did not exist at all.
Continuity mistake: When Tonya's husband is fixing the car, his tool box disappears when he goes to close the hood.
Continuity mistake: At a meeting to do with the hospital's dealings, one man, Mr Broadbeck, objects to the Elephant Man being a patient in the hospital - in the beginning he is wearing spectacles, but, a few seconds later, the spectacles are gone.
Visible crew/equipment: When the guys walk from the deli, talking about which girl they are taking to the prom, you see a reflection in the cars parked along the side, of a crew member walking with a boom mic.
Continuity mistake: When Yossi Ghinsberg falls from the plot to the river, he swims to left bank of the river (you can see the water flow from right to left). Afterwards he stayed on the same bank of the river. But later we see him to look down to the river from the right side (water flow is from left to the right). How did he get there? (00:52:25 - 01:14:23)
Factual error: Einar walks away from his wife in Paris to go to a peep show, then there is suddenly a scene where he walks the streets of Copenhagen. It's clear that the marble church of Copenhagen is in the shot.
Factual error: George Cornell was killed in March 1966, but before and after the killing you see the Triumph Spitfire Reggie Kray bought for Frances, which carries a 1967 reg plate.
Factual error: In the final scene where Solomon was reunited with his family, the doors he entered the room through had Edwardian style leadlight glass. The movie was set about 50 years before this style.
Factual error: In the early part of the movie, there is a shot of the outside of Triple O's bar. The scene takes place in 1975 and "Coors" is advertised on the outside of the bar. Coors beer was not available in Boston/East Coast in 1975. It was only available from the 1980's.
Factual error: In the scene where the young Helen Goff is traveling by train with her family, it's obvious that an American engine and coaches have been used, instead of a Queensland Rail locomotive of the era. None of the QR locomotives had flared smokestacks like on the one seen in the movie. The coaches are also incorrect - as far as I know, none of the Queensland Rail wood coaches had clerestory roofs with a set of windows in them like seen in the movie. When Helen looks out the back of the train, it's also obvious that the tracks are spaced at 'standard gauge' (4' 8.5"). They should be closer together, as railways in Queensland are built to 3'6" gauge instead. There is also no such company as the 'Queensland Victoria Railway Co', as marked on the coaches, as all railways in Australia are state owned.
Other mistake: The Sydney harbor scenes have the backdrop of the opera house. The buildings (aka "The Toaster") beside the opera house were not completed until 1998. The film was set in 1976-77.
Other mistake: When Reinaldo first meets Lezaro Lima after winning "First Honorable Mention" for the National Book contest, Lezaro tells Reinaldo he can read any five books he wants. Lezaro names titles of books he'd like Reinaldo to read. The subtitle in English on the U.S. region DVD misspells Robert Louis Stevenson, spelling his middle name "Lewis". (00:32:05)
Continuity mistake: When Jean-Do is shaving his father, there is suddenly a lot more shaving cream under his nose where he had already been shaved. Also, because the camera is so close, you can tell that he had no stubble anywhere to begin with. (00:55:30)
Factual error: An old man appears with children following him. This is supposed to be pedagogue Janusz Korczak. It appeared as if he was just wearing a suit and a Jewish arm band. In the Warsaw Ghetto, Mr. Korczak never wore an arm band and wore his WWI Polish Army Uniform, both as acts of defiance. He was beaten and almost put to death (he had connections) for not wearing an arm band so having one on in the movie is inaccurate.
Revealing mistake: When the farmer is going to shoot the sign the bank put up, you can very well see the mark where the hole is going to appear.
Continuity mistake: Near the start, when the kid is holding the card of Babe Ruth in his hand, the position of his fingers on the card changes between shots.
Continuity mistake: At the beginning, Ray holds out a ticket for the bus driver to see. In the next shot, from behind, both Ray's hands are at his side. When the shot changes back to the front, his right hand is extended again holding the ticket.