Factual error: When the Ranger trainees first meet Samuel L. Jackson, he's wearing the rank of a Specialist on his collars even though he's a Master Sergeant. Title 18, Chapter 33 of the US code prevents the unauthorized wear of a military uniform (among other things), however this does not automatically correct the mistake since a common misconception is that one slight alteration is sufficient to make the uniform legal. Having the wrong rank on is too obvious of an alteration, especially for anybody who has spent more than a day in or around the Army and would still be punishable by law, if he was dressed in an attempt to fool your average citizen outside of a movie.
Factual error: When we see the United States flag, it is the wrong flag. It has 43 stars, something the flag did not have until 1891.
Factual error: This movie takes place in 1990, but that big 'Welcome to Daytona Beach' sign was not built until 2001. (00:21:05)
Factual error: In the scene at the beginning of the movie as the 3 youths walk up the street, you can see current MA license plates, although the action should have taken place many years earlier. (00:01:30 - 00:05:50)
Factual error: In the final race, they are able to slow down and stop two extremely powerful machines, travelling at well over 100 miles per hour, on a dirt road, in a very short distance. In reality, they would have gone through the wooden arch over the road, through the white fence, and ended up halfway up the hill in the background, amongst the horses.
Factual error: Sarah Polley is dying of cancer. She's not told anyone, and the film is about completing her list of things to do before she dies. There's a scene where she's talking about children with her neighbour, a nurse, the woman who she eventually 'sets up' to replace her, to look after her husband and children, when she's died. The nurse refers to a truamatic incident having nursed Siamese twins in hospital, who both die. She describes how one died before the other -the boy, then the girl. This is medically impossible, as Siamese twins are always the same gender.
Factual error: In the shot of the infield at the Saratoga racetrack several Canada geese are shown landing. However, the calls inserted on the soundtrack are the quacks of mallard ducks not the honks of Canada geese.
Factual error: In the scene where Inman is helping build the church he is handed modern pre-cut lumber. This product was not introduced until the middle of the 20th century.
Factual error: At the beginning of the movie when all the guys are in the barber shop, a man is wearing a John Deere hat with the modern logo, not the one from 1976.
Factual error: Mahony gets Can$15,000 from the bank he works in in Canada and flies to Atlantic City (US) where the cashier gives him US$15,000 of chips. US and Canadian dollars are not equivalent and, at the end of 1981, the cashier should be giving him less than US$13,000. Since he is broke, he couldn't have made up the difference himself. (00:09:30 - 00:11:30)
Factual error: The movie leaves the impression that Huntsville, Texas and Austin, Texas are just a short distance apart. In reality, they are at least three hours apart.
Factual error: Many of the "western" products used in the film are in packaging from the present day, not from the time the film was set (1989-90). For example, Coca-Cola Light had a white label then, not the silver one in the film. Other examples are Jacobs Krönung coffee and Heinz ketchup, shown in recently redesigned packaging.
Factual error: When young Ichi is hit in the face with the baseball, he doesn't react realistically. He simply falls back spitting blood, when in reality, he would have been knocked out and probably lost a number of teeth, and perhaps even broken a bone in his face.
Factual error: Tony Gregory, the politician that Veronica meets, is seen wearing a suit and tie. Tony Gregory the TD, made a point of never wearing a tie.
Factual error: After Stephen Maturin comes back with a small portion of findings from the Galapagos Islands, he presents a stick insect to Captain Aubrey, but stick insects (Phasmids) don't exist in the Galapagos Islands. (01:41:20)
Factual error: When Edward Bloom hits the winning shot in the basketball game, a three-point line is visible at his feet. The three-point line was not introduced until the 1970s in the newly formed ABA. It did not reach high school basketball gyms until the late 80s. (00:20:55)
Factual error: In the scene where Karen plays the album "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell, she cries to the title track "Both Sides Now". A shot of the CD player indicates that track 7 on the album is playing, but "Both Sides Now" is track 12 on the actual album. (01:29:00)
Factual error: After the cops respond to the domestic disturbance (son hitting mom), we see the male officer get in the back with the boy to show him the crime scene photos and he shuts the door after getting in. Police cars are designed so that the back doors must be opened from outside, however, he exited the car with no help. (00:21:00)
Suggested correction: Police cars just use the child safety lock on the side of door that prevents the back door being opened from inside. It's simple to turn them off so the doors can be opened from the inside.
Factual error: Catus Decianus actually managed to escape from the massacre at Camulodunum and fled to Gaul.
Factual error: A hard pack of Winston cigarettes is shown, but these were not available in 1953.