Trivia: In the scene after Hiccup finally gets Toothless' new tail fin to work, and the two are relaxing after they fly through the fire ball, the two are greeted by a group of tiny dragons. This little dragon was actually what Toothless was originally going to be, as he was in the book, until they changed him to a dragon big enough for Hiccup to ride to suit the movie. (00:46:15)
Trivia: The real Penny Chenery, the owner of Secretariat, makes a cameo as a spectator at the Belmont Stakes.
Trivia: Actress Mila Kunis was actually recommended by Natalie Portman for the part of Lily.
Trivia: In a shot of Zeus sitting on the throne, Emma Thompson, in costume as Nanny McPhee, is actually hiding behind the throne - they were filming next to each other. The story was related during an interview - she sneaked on set during a break, sat on Liam Neeson's lap and said "I think you've been a very naughty boy". He suggested she stay when filming resumed, as the shot wasn't going to be on him anyway, but she didn't want to throw off Ralph Fiennes, so hid behind the throne to get out of the way, and a shot of it with her hidden behind, unseen, is in the movie.
Trivia: After Robin and his men arrive in Nottingham, Will Scarlet and Little John are in a tavern admiring the women - Will advises his comrades not to go for the most beautiful woman, but to go for her less attractive friends, thus ensuring success. This is the expression of Game Theory, as explained by John Nash (also played by Russell Crowe) in A Beautiful Mind.
Trivia: This was Tony Scott's final feature film before his death in 2012.
Trivia: Glee's Dianna Agron makes a cameo appearance as Jack's fiancee, Natalie.
Trivia: Whilst this movie is a remake of the 80's Karate Kid, and is named the same, no actual karate is performed at all. It's all kung-fu.
Trivia: The Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe that Balthazar drives in this movie was owned by Nicolas Cage himself.
Trivia: McGregor finds that the BMW navigation system is active, and decides to follow the directions, having no idea where it will lead. There are obviously much easier and direct ways to check the entered target destination of a sat nav than actually following it. Instead of this being a mistake, it is most likely a script choice; portraying McGregor as stressed, technically unknowing, inexperienced driver of modern luxury cars, or all of that.
Trivia: When Teddy enters the lighthouse, as soon as he begins to climb the spiral stairs, the camera follows his movement from in front of him. However, as Teddy and the camera wind around the stairs, the wall behind also appears to move with them, as though what is REALLY moving is only the staircase itself, rotating on its central axis. Yet another point (added to the various disappearing glasses/bottles) that adds to the general 'insane' feel of the film.
Trivia: When Jack is entering the bar where he receives a letter from a friend, a song is played on the radio. The song is 'Tu vuò fà l'americano' by Italian singer Renato Carosone. It means 'You want to do American' or 'You're an American wannabe', a reference to Jack, who is American, and of course the title of the movie. (00:38:45 - 00:39:50)
Trivia: David Seidler won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for this film. At the age of 73, Seidler was the oldest person to win the Award.
Trivia: Juliette Lewis appears in this film, playing the same character from the comedy Old School, Heidi.
Trivia: At one point, you can see Craig reading the book "Be More Chill." The book was written by Ned Vizzini, who was also the author of the novel "It's Kind of a Funny Story" on which this film is based.
Trivia: Shia Labeouf did a lot of research with real financial traders in order to prepare for his role. He also made money ($389,000) on his investments based on what he learned.
Trivia: When Eli and Solara are in his room for the night there is a movie poster on the wall behind them for a similar post apocalyptic movie. "A Boy and His Dog". In Eli the survivors protect themselves from the sun's rays and in "A Boy and His Dog" they flee underground to hide from the sun.