Continuity mistake: After being buried alive, Wake returns to attack Howard with a pick. There isn't a speck of dirt on him.
Other mistake: It was pouring rain when Denny got home in a taxi, but he somehow managed to walk from the curb, up the sidewalk, and into the front door without getting his jacket or face wet. His hair might have got a little wet but, if so, it quickly dried. (00:26:10)
Continuity mistake: In Central Park before meeting the toaster client, Peter Sarsgaard in the close-up has 2 tuning forks in his right hand and one in the left, but in the wider shot he has two in his left and one in his right as he picks up the mallet. (00:07:10)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the movie, the girl gets assaulted from the back: you see at first exactly from the shot from behind that the backpack she is carrying escapes her arms, but in the subsequent shot she is still holding it. (00:02:10)
Factual error: The film states that the story takes place in the year 1998. Everything in the opening scenes crams in every 90's cliché imaginable to reinforce the era. However, at 1m56s into the movie, the main character is driving on the freeway and it cuts to a shot showing that he's driving behind a marked police car. Specifically, a Police Interceptor model Ford Explorer that did not hit the market until 2012. (00:01:56)
Revealing mistake: The way the outside steps were constructed - a series of perpendicular boards with no side support - would not be able to hold weight. They would easily collapse under pressure. (00:38:53)
Continuity mistake: In the sequence with the pigeon that tries to topple the severed hand off the gutter, twigs are right next to its fingers or not, depending from the angle. (00:06:35)
Visible crew/equipment: When Erick asks Sam what she's reading, the shadow of the camera can be seen on the wall next to him. (01:27:51)
Factual error: At presentation of the Medal of Honor, the US Air Force Secretary reads the citation that states William H. Pitsenbarger was an Airman First Class (E-3 with 2 stripes) but in the battle scenes William H. Pitsenbarger is wearing the insignia of a 'Buck' Sergeant (E-4 with 3 stripes). (00:14:29 - 01:43:55)
Continuity mistake: When Hodaka first fires his gun whilst being threatened by the man, the shell casing lands on the ground beside him, right next to his head. A couple seconds later, when Hina goes to help him up so they can run off together, the shell casing has vanished from the ground. (00:22:06)
Continuity mistake: When Aunt Sarah arrives, she dumps her luggage in the hands of Jim and then passes him to his right, leaving him between herself and the door. In the reverse shot, Jim is on the opposite side. (00:29:15)
Continuity mistake: When we see Christmas Flint with her dad and Miss Rayleen for the first time, she's watching them bicker, her chin perched on the back of her hand. Which hand, though? It's her left hand for the greater part of the scene, but in the shot when Jim Gaffigan is saying "I got to find my pants. You move my pants?" it's the right one. (00:05:00)
Factual error: Attorney Aegis inappropriately rounded up/down a couple common statistics pertaining to the infamous Ford Pinto case, which resulted in a total that didn't add up: "it would cost the company $11 per Pinto to fix the problem. But with 12 million [should be 12.5] of 'em on the road, that would cost $137 million compared with $50 million [should be 49.5] to maintain the status quo. $137 million to fix a $50 million problem..." But 12 million x $11 = $132 million [not $137 million]. (00:24:38)
Other mistake: Elsa Brecht is holding an official piece of mail sent from the Coconut Grove Hotel in Miami but it's postmarked Orlando, Florida. There's no legitimate reason the mail would be postmarked Orlando when Orlando is 235 miles from Miami. (01:24:16)
Continuity mistake: The amount of blood on 10-year-old Miguel's face and neck after his "jump in" is not consistent. Sometimes there is more (or less) blood on his cheeks and neck and sometimes it appears splattered compared to large areas diluted with blood. The intensity/color of the blood also changes - sometimes it is very red but other times it is paler. The cut on his left eyebrow apparently was not on the far left corner yet sometimes the blood started there; other times, the blood started almost to the middle of his eyebrow. Sometimes he has blood below his eyebrow. Despite all the blood on his face and neck (down to the sagging T-shirt), there is no blood on his white or light grey T-shirt. He also does not get any blood on his jacket. Miguel was repeatedly punched then kicked by several large, muscular adult gang members for 13 seconds (to become a member of the MS-13 gang) but is unrealistically able to get right up then go and pick up and carry his dog - with no limping or signs of pain. (00:29:15)
Factual error: Russell said he served twenty-one years in prison because his last offense - possession of 30 grams of marijuana with the intent to distribute - counted as his "third strike" under California's "Three Strikes And You're Out" statute. When he was on the internet trying to locate his father (instead finding his obituary from 2001), information on the computer indicated it was now 2012. This would mean Russell was incarcerated since 1991 - and further indicates he was sentenced about three years BEFORE California's "Three Strikes And You're Out" statute was implemented. Also, 30g of marijuana is the limit for "personal use", so he wouldn't have been charged with intent to distribute. (00:16:15)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the movie, the waitress notices that Emilio for the first time in years has not completed his Sudoku yet. The sequence begins with her stopping by him and waving her hand, upturned, but the hand is then on his shoulder. She repeats the gesture at the cut. (00:01:50)
Continuity mistake: The protagonist is at the lunch table with his auntie, and is trying to get her to fund his 'enterpreneurial' efforts. After the prayer, she asks him "You want some hot sauce?" Eddie Murphy goes from having his hands joined to having them on his hips. (00:20:25)
Continuity mistake: Zeke is in the kitchen with his daughter. He is checking out Dick's driving license; in the close-up he is holding it with his left hand, but in the following shot, as she asks him "Where'd you find it?" he is holding it in his right hand. (00:10:15)
Visible crew/equipment: As the camera moves forward in the opening shot, a clear reflection of a film light can be seen on the side of the fire engine.