Factual error: The mansion Allie is staying in over the summer is Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina, near Charleston. It was built in the 1930's, so factually the house couldn't have been in the family as long as the characters make it seem. A lot of the filming was also done in Kiawah, an island near Folly Beach.
Factual error: One of Angel's lyrics (in "Today For You, Tomorrow For Me) refers to the movie "Thelma and Louise." Rent (the movie) is set in 1989-90. "Thelma and Louise" was released in 1991. This was caused when they did the move from Broadway to the screen. The stage show did not specify the year. So when they adapted the stage show to the movie, they didn't check the references. Plus it just sounds cool. (00:28:25)
Factual error: When you first see Sam he is supposed to be in America, but when you see out of the window as he is leaving, you can see the Gherkin building in London. He is actually in the Lloyd's Building, but to add to the illusion of being in America, he is picked up by a Yellow Cab.
Factual error: The galley during the battle scene is rowed by slaves. Romans during this time period didn't use slaves to row their galleys. Rowers had to be able fight. If not, the Romans would be outnumbered 200 to 30 when they boarded the pirate ship as the pirates rowers would be able to fight.
Factual error: The movie is set in 1962, but when Tracy misses her bus, she catches a ride on an International-Harvester truck that wasn't introduced until 1969.
Factual error: In the scene where the fire department responds to the fire, the engine is 42. Yet all the fireman's hats say 6. The engine company, station etc. would all be the same number so their helmets should have also been 42.
Factual error: When Ryan and Jennifer are hanging out at their lookout spot, over the Golden Gate Bridge, they are looking at the bridge from the Marin County side. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bay Area geography, the distance between Berkeley and Marin County is about 15 or 20 miles, yet the two refer to walking back to campus a few times.
Factual error: In the Pop Goes My Heart video, the keyboard is a Roland D-50. At the start of the video it's said that it was from 1984. The D-50 wasn't released until 1987 to compete with the Yamaha DX7. (00:01:15)
Factual error: When the Joan Cusack character bolts into the control room with the "Mercenary" cassette, you can here the director counting down to roll the tape. A 3/4" tape being inserted and threaded up in the machine normally takes about 8 to 10 seconds, yet the tape plays when the operator hits the play button.
Factual error: The F-16 in the movie is wearing a desert camouflage, this is the standard camouflage of the Israel's air force F-16 while the USAF F-16 have two tonalities of grey.
Factual error: In 17th century France a peasant would not be using metric measurements. Just before the final battle, D'Artangnan states the castle is 2 kilometers away. Metric was developed by French scientists AFTER the revolution.
Factual error: When The Silver Tongued Devil contacts Bandit for a smokey report, he asks if the Bandit is "coming up on Fayetteville, on Interstate 82." Aside from the fact that Fayetteville, Arkansas is far off the direct route from Texarkana to Atlanta, Interstate 82 is about 1900 miles away from Fayetteville, in Washington state. In fact, at the time, there was no interstate highway at all near Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Suggested correction: There is a US Hwy 82 that connects these states and runs all the way through TX. They did, in fact, confuse the verbiage between interstate and US Hwy.
Factual error: When the aircraft crashes on the island, the front of the aircraft strikes the ground which would have bent the propeller. They would have never been able to fly it again with that prop.
Factual error: Jack Lemmon cooks spaghetti for Xmas dinner. On New Years Eve he picks up the tennis racket, through which he had poured the spaghetti, and one piece hangs limp from the racket. It would of course, have long dried and be hard as before cooking.
Factual error: In the Ascot racing scene, the actors' heads move from their left to right when the horses come to the winning line. From the stands at Ascot, the horses run clockwise around the track and would enter from right to left.
Factual error: Michael Douglas is lying on the couch watching the Jeffersons. Jeanne Tripplehorn arrives and they talk. In the background the theme song to the Jeffersons is playing, but it is the song from the beginning of the show rather than the closing theme.
Factual error: The chiropractor that Ben Stiller's character visits says "Tender fascial tissue left of L7" as he is treating his back. However there are only 5 Lumbar Vertebra in our back, L7 doesn't exist.
Factual error: The movie takes place in New York City, yet a sign on the ice cream store where the mother works says "Take Away." I know they call it "take away" in Britain and Ireland, but in New York it is called "take out." The movie was filmed in New York and Ireland, so that shot was probably filmed in Ireland. (00:09:45)
Factual error: During the first scenes of the film the Greek flag used is the current one, and not the one used at that time. The flag that should have been used is a white cross on blue.
Factual error: In the opening shot of the city of Verona, it is possible to see a bicycle moving in the distance. Bicycles weren't invented at the time the film takes place.