Factual error: It is stated that Miss Trunchbull competed in the Olympics in shot put, javelin, and hammer throw. According to her jersey those were the 1972 Olympics. The hammer throw wasn't added as an Olympic event for women until 2000.
Factual error: When Howard is running after the bouncy ball he is on the second floor of the Mall of America, however, you see him run through the LEGO store which is located on the lowest floor of the Mall of America, which is impossible if he was on the second floor before.
Factual error: When the plane is taking off while the animals are on the runway they duck down hoping it will stop and it becomes airborne shortly before hitting them. In actuality they should have been blown backwards from the jets like ragdolls.
Factual error: When the submarine rises in the waters of Norfolk and you see Norfolk in the background, there is one blatant problem. There are NO mountains in Norfolk. Most of Norfolk, Virginia, is below sea level.
Factual error: When the plane takes off headed for Las Vegas, the shot out the window below shows runways 35 and 41. Runway 41 is impossible because ALL runways at airports are only numbered 1-36.
Factual error: When The Oneders are recording their song with Uncle Bob, there is an In-N-Out cup sitting by the recording equipment. There are no In-N-Out restaurants in PA.
Factual error: During the movie, which is based in '79, Roy has a Rhino bowling ball. Rhinos weren't made until '85.
Factual error: When WD-40 is at the restaurant, the waiter starts talking about himself. He tells the agent he drives a 1969 Ford Pinto, but the Pinto wasn't introduced until 1971.
Factual error: Casey arrives at the desert landing in a jeep that is flagged with 4 stars (for a 4 star general) although he is only a 3 star general (as evident by the 3 stars on his shoulder boards). (00:33:30 - 00:35:25)
Factual error: The motor cycle race on two Ducatis: they race from downtown Atlanta to Stone Mountain. They are on a road called Freedom Parkway. It exists primarily to get to and from the Carter Center Library - it doesn't go anywhere beyond that really. In the film they race for miles to Stone Mountain, it's about 45 minutes outside the city, and to get there you have to take three different highways. They arrive on one that doesn't exist.
Factual error: After the policeman commandeers the old lady's car he finds out quickly that there are basically no brakes. Later he is doing K-turns, and all different maneuvers that aren't possible using a car without working brakes.
Factual error: Throughout the entire Varsity/JV game, the Varsity team makes at least 20 penalties that aren't called. They also refer to a tripping call as hooking, even though the Varsity player obviously goes for the JV players ankles.
Factual error: Although the movie supposedly takes place in Blaine, Missouri, you can see Texas flags in certain shots. The movie was filmed in Texas.
Factual error: After the New York Kicks start their winning streak, they play against the Suns. The sign outside says, "Knicks vs. Suns - SOLD OUT", but when they take you inside, more than half the seats are empty.
Factual error: Jamie and Steve catch a bus from Thamesmead to Greenwich ... at the wrong side of the road. (00:59:10)
Factual error: Jerry Falwell and Charles Keating never knew each other personally in real life.
Factual error: When the cell phones are switched, Melanie's mom asks Jack what his cell is and he says Pennsylvania-something. The old-fashioned system, over a half-century old of having a two-letter denomination for the area or town, such as PA for the area around Penn Station, or LI, for Long Island, is followed by five digits, but Jack gave four digits, so it wouldn't have been an actual phone number.
Suggested correction: Pennsylvania 3317 is the area code. First three numbers are for that area in New York, Then 3317. 10 numbers.
I think it's the New York area code, which for early cell phones in 1996 was most likely 917, then, the area code for all of Pennsylvania in 1996 was 814. I think Jack is saying his number is 814-3317. He wouldn't need to specify the area code since at the time you only included it when dialling out of your own region, or if dialling a mobile number - and the phone Rita's calling would surely have had the same 917 area code as Melanie's, since 917 phones like the star-taks were not yet common.
Factual error: As Burt is driving, he is producing a video diary. He indicates it is 1900 hours (7PM) on May 14th, and yet it is pitch black outside. Nowhere in Mexico would the sun have set by 7pm in May.
Factual error: On the final hole, the shot that Roy "has" to make is hit perfectly the first time. For some unknown reason, it spins backward off the green. This is patently impossible with a 3-wood. The club just doesn't allow it, and any golfer on the face of the earth knows it. This scene should have been shot with a long iron, a 2 or 3 iron, which is still very hard to hit, but at least possible (for a pro) to put enough spin to back it up.
Factual error: The Hyundai rental car that Kramer and Douglas end up with is, at the newest, a 1989 model, which would be far too old to still be in fleet as a rental car.