Plot hole: The movie takes place before and around 1938 and, supposedly ends in that year, following the entrance in Shanghai of the Japanese, with the exodus by many Chinese and foreign residents. Ralph Fiennes' character, as an American ex-diplomat and businessman, would have resided, have bank accounts, his car, etcetera, in the foreign concessions. The Japanese did not occupy the concessions until after Pearl Harbor, so there was no need for him to flee the city, as a refugee without a passport and with little or no money, sailing towards Macao in a fragile Chinese junk. He could just have driven or walked a few blocks to any of the "Western" concessions, from where he could have married Natasha Richardson's character, obtained U.S. passports (White Russians had none, as the rest of her family in the movie until assisted by an official in the French Consulate) for her and her daughter, purchased a ticket in a safer vessel, sold his assets (regardless of the damage to his club, he still had a house, furniture, a car, presumably bank accounts, etc.).
Continuity mistake: In the kitchen scene at Greg Kinnear's house when Pierce is convincing Greg to fly to Arizona with him to do a job, the clock on the wall behind them first reads 5:45 am. In the next shot, the clock reads 5:28 am.
Continuity mistake: When Chris finds Nola in the Tate modern, her arm changes from bent to down between front and back shots.
Revealing mistake: Jim's town is called "Cromwell", yet in the scene in which he steps from his van to enter the bar, there's a sign mounted on a street lamp which says "Historic Goshen". (The movie was photographed in the town of Goshen, as indicated in the closing credits.).
Revealing mistake: When Rose and her boyfriend are making a toast in her apartment we hear a perfect chiming sound. We can see that they're both holding their glasses by the bowl instead of holding them from the stem. Holding a glass this way would never allow a chiming sound.
Other mistake: When the USA soccer world cup team is practicing in New York, on some field in Long Island, in several shots you can see the steeple for Union Avenue Christian Church, which is actually located in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Continuity mistake: When the men are in the lounge room, one of them is playing GTA III on a PS2. Note the car he is in (a squad car) and the health (a heart logo near it with 68). Pattie enters room and says goodbye. The men try to figure out who slept with her. On figuring it out they jump up and leave room, we get one more shot of the game and he is now in a different car and health is 100. You will notice that he doesn't play it long enough to change cars as he is not looking at the screen long enough. During the scene you can hear the sirens of the squad car he was in, meaning he didn't change cars. Also he never would of regained full health that quick. (00:56:05)
Continuity mistake: When the grandfather cuts the potato, the pickle on the plate moves back and forth in the different shots.
Continuity mistake: After the father buys the 1940 Ford he and the son are driving and drive across a bridge with a rock bed stream. Just as soon as they cross the shot is then shown from the front of the car and there is no bridge in sight.
Revealing mistake: When FDR is getting put in the pool at warm springs for the first time, you can see see his normal legs and they have not been done over by CGI, to look as though he has suffered through polio.
Audio problem: Just after the long continuous fight scene in the restaurant, one girl pulls out a knife to attack Tony Jaa. The knife makes a sound like it's being pulled from a sheath but it's not touching any other metal.
Factual error: When a young Steve Mills is struggling for conversation topics with Lisa in 1962, he comments that her black eye makes her look like the Tareyton commercial. However, those "I'd rather fight than switch" ads weren't aired until late 1964.
Continuity mistake: The license plates of Miriam's car keep alternating throughout the movie. One of the versions begins with "4WHQ" and the other, "5CPF".
Revealing mistake: After Majid commits suicide, when he is on the ground, you can CLEARLY see him breathing. I mean, it isn't even funny how much you can see him breathing.
Factual error: When Nicholas Cage goes home he goes to a building on Wacker Drive. But when he looks out of his window and is looking at Chicago he is a few blocks away at a different building.
Factual error: Towards the beginning of the film, the Cashes receive a notice about their rent. It's the 1950's and the address has a ZIP code. ZIP codes were not introduced until 1963.
Revealing mistake: When the president is thrown out of the window by Carpathia, it is obviously just a CG shot. Not only is the president obviously CG, but the glass from the window breaks into neat little triangles. Right.
Continuity mistake: In the end of the movie, they show Henry being put into the ambulance on the stretcher. The next shot is of Sam and Naomi Watts's character and then another shot of the ambulance, where Henry's body on the stretcher is outside the ambulance again.
Visible crew/equipment: The scene where Anna Hathaway and Bijou Phillips are rapping when on the bed together, the boom mic can be seen moving in the background. (00:53:05)
Continuity mistake: In the restaurant, the doll falls between the wheels of the pram, but when Alice takes it, it is further away.