Factual error: At the end of the movie, Harry Truman is quoted in 1954 in laying out the domino theory, but it was his successor, Dwight D. Eisenhower who did that.
Factual error: Al Pacino is the subject of an internal affairs inquiry in Los Angeles. It's unlikely a police officer under investigation in L.A. would be sent to Alaska to work on a murder case. Police officers under investigation are routinely given desk assignments until officially cleared and allowed to return to active duty.
Factual error: When Michelle Pfeiffer is typing in commands into Barry's computer to delete all his files, the commands she types in wouldn't do anything but return an error message. It's clear the computer input was tamed down to make it easy to understand for anyone who has never even been near a computer. (00:24:00)
Factual error: Cheryl works in the Navy Exchange bookstore. In the United States Military(all branches of service) ONLY civilian employees work in the military exchanges, which are small retail stores for military and their family members.
Factual error: When Sedgewick shows off his sex magazins to his mates you can tell from the modestly covered beauties that they are from the fifties, not from the mid seventies when the movie is set. Also the hint theat they are 'from France' would have meant something in the fifties, not in the seventies. (00:22:00)
Factual error: Whenever Steve Coogan is driving his old brown car during the 70s and 80s, you can look out of his windows and see cars that weren't made then, even some with current registration plates on, either driving past, or parked up in driveways, or on the side of the road.
Factual error: When Jess arrives late at the final match, she is brought on as a substitute. Yet, the referee should know about the possible substitutes before they are brought on - he didn't even know about Jess. Jess said she wouldn't be able to make the match due to her sister's wedding. Therefore, she would have been removed from the team line-up.
Factual error: The phrase "Si, se puede" is translated in the movie to mean "Yes, we can". However, "Si, se puede" literally translates to "It's Possible". (When it is mentioned earlier in the film that "Si, se puede" means "Yes, I can", that is also incorrect.) "Si, nos podemos" is incorrect. It would have to be "Si podemos" to be grammatically correct. Yet, in the United States, the phrase is colloquially translated to "Yes, we can", so it is probable that the writers and directors made the decision consciously, especially considering that the director is of Spanish descent.
Factual error: In various shots throughout the film "Sky TV" style satellite dishes can be seen on houses - the film is set in 1972 many years before satellite TV existed.
Factual error: In the scene where Jack and Algy are eating muffins Jack is wearing a Burberry Check tie. The Burberry Check was not created until the 1920's. The scene takes place in mid-1890s.
Factual error: John supposedly goes to Chicago to talk to a mothman expert, but it shows the two of them walking into The Mellon Institute which is actually in Pittsburgh.
Factual error: In the scene where, Clint is examining his scar, the scar is misplaced. It should run from the top of the sternum between the collar bones to the bottom of sternum, mid diaphragm.
Factual error: When Laura (in 1951) picks up Mrs. Dalloway from the floor next to her bed, there are six novels in total. Two of the other books are Melbourne by Lord David Cecil and Under the Net by Dame Iris Murdoch, both published in 1954.