Continuity mistake: The house number is 6101 but 6301 is on the step leading to the sidewalk/house. Later, when they are moving, the house number is 6301 and the number that was on the sidewalk is some kind of indiscernable pattern (not distinct numbers). (00:02:20 - 00:08:34)
Continuity mistake: The position of Mason's dad's cigarette lighter on the table at the bowling alley varies with who the camera is pointed at and changes about five times. It is standing upright when the camera faces Mason and his sister Sam but it is lying flat on the table when the camera faces Mason Sr. (00:17:12)
Continuity mistake: Mason Sr. has a pack of cigarettes in the left pocket of his shirt when looking at Mason Jr's arrowheads but the pocket is flat after he looks at something of Sam's. The cigarettes are back in his pocket when he goes to talk to Olivia. (00:19:54 - 00:20:37)
Continuity mistake: Mason, Randy, and another boy (who is carrying a skateboard in his right hand) are each carrying a can of Coke while walking home from school. When the boy changes the skateboard to his left hand, he no longer has the can of Coke. (00:27:12)
Continuity mistake: When they are playing Xbox, Mason and Randy are leaning against their chairs and their heads do not reach the top of the back of the chairs. A view from behind the boys show one of their heads (appears to be Mason's) in the open without the chair or its back visible. (00:27:50)
Continuity mistake: Randy's left leg and foot, in particular - and sometimes his hands and right leg - change positions several times when the family is playing Charades, and he is sitting on the couch watching. First his left knee is bent and his left foot/shoe are on the edge of the couch, but each time the camera returns to him he is in a different position: A little later his left hand is on his left knee; then his left leg is resting on the couch and his shoe is partially down the side; next his knee is back in the air, his shoe is resting on the couch, and his elbow is on his left knee; then he is on the other couch sitting to the right of his dad and Mason with his feet on the floor and his left hand behind the couch's back; and then his left knee is bent again, his hands are down, and his right foot is on the couch. These changes occur during the two short skits and within 30 seconds of film time. Excluding moving to the other couch, Randy's positions are not deliberate to show passage of time. (00:28:10)
Character mistake: When asked if he had a job, Mason Sr proudly responded he just happened to have passed his second actuarial exam and that's what Mason could tell his mother. Mason Sr didn't seem to realise the first two actuarial exams are the easiest to pass, many aspiring actuaries have completed the first two exams by the time they earn Bachelor degrees, and will study for years for the remaining exams while employed full time. He wasn't anywhere near being an actuarialist and wasn't employed - yet bragged. (00:39:44)
Other mistake: Mason Sr spends time with Sam and Mason every other weekend. After going to the Butterfly Center, they tossed a football and ran around (playing tag?) a while before going to the Houston Astros vs. Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. The limited footage of the game in the movie (which included Astros #16's home run) was adequate to identify it as the 4/17/06 game that started at 7:07 PM... on a Monday (not over the weekend). (00:39:45)
Audio problem: After the liquor store clerk says, "I can't read this", his mouth does not move when he says, "Hey." "This is not you" is off-camera, then his mouth movements are back on track. (00:55:00)
Continuity mistake: Bill's driver's license/ID is next to the first $100 bill the liquor store clerk counts (sets on the counter), but when the clerk counts the fifth $100 bill, the driver's license is no longer there. The clerk hands Randy the $500, then says, "Dont forget your dad's ID" and hands it to him. (00:55:15)
Continuity mistake: The views inside and from the SUV when Liv and Carol picked up the kids to leave Bill are awkward. Even though Carol gets into the front passenger seat, she is not visible afterwards - views of Liv driving and of the house out the front passenger window should have at least some part of Carol visible, but she isn't. Liv yelled to the kids in the back seat to put their seat belts on, but the way the kids were positioned was not conducive to wearing a seat belt. Mason was sitting with his head and back a few inches away from the back of the seat and halfway onto the center. Samantha's head was past the headrest and her shoulder was partly on the headrest; her body appeared to be at an angle in the corner against the door. (00:56:50)
Continuity mistake: It was daytime when Bill took the kids to the ATM and questioned them regarding Liv's whereabouts. When Liv picked up the kids and was backing out of the driveway, the sun was setting behind the house. As she drove down the straight road (she didn't make any turns), the sun was shining brighter and then some of the trees on the opposite side of the road cast shadows in the direction of the sun SETTING. (00:56:53)
Continuity mistake: The campfire's distance from the tent does not stay the same. When Mason and Mason Sr are roasting marshmallows and making S'mores, the campfire is close to the tent. Overnight, the campfire looks about the width of two tents away. In the morning, the campfire is close to the tent again (less than the width of the tent). Mason Sr's boots are outside of the tent in the morning, but he did not wear boots when walking through the woods the day before - he was wearing brown (hiking?) shoes with black trim and laces. Mason Sr's clothes also change from walking through the woods (t-shirt and shorts) to evening (red/gray checked shirt and shorts) to morning (red/gray shirt and jeans). During this time, Mason's clothes stayed the same until morning when he put on a different jersey. (01:10:27 - 01:11:40)
Continuity mistake: Mason blows out the candles on his cake. In the first shot you can see that he blew out all the candles except 2 on the opposite ends of the cake, in the very next shot you can see that 1 of those candles is now out. (01:36:45)
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the movie when Mason is talking to his dad on the phone, the position of his right index finger varies with front or back shots. Front shots show Mason's index finger held almost straight up along/against the side of his cell phone. Rear views show Mason's index finger curved around the side with the fingertip pressing against the middle back of the cell phone. (01:57:48)
Continuity mistake: When Mason is sitting on the steps talking to his dad on a cell phone, front shots show him holding the cell phone between his thighs (which are split like a "V"); rear shots show Mason's thighs/legs touching and him holding the cell phone to the right of his right thigh. (01:58:29)
Continuity mistake: The red sunrash/burn that Mason had under his eyes and across the top of his nose (in a pattern suggesting or indicating that he was wearing sunglasses) when he was driving to UT with Sheena is not always the same intensity. Also, even though the sunburn was still there the following morning around 3:00 AM when Mason and Sheena were eating Nachos at a restaurant, it "disappeared" later that day. Similar observations can be made regarding Mason's "complexion" (acne).. (01:59:44)
Continuity mistake: When Mason is driving to the University of Texas, the road behind him is at an angle that doesn't match the slight angle of his truck. (02:03:06)
Revealing mistake: It is obvious that the actor, Ellar Coltrane, is watching and waiting for the cue for "Mason" to start drinking from his can of beer at the pool hall. (02:03:44)
Continuity mistake: Mason is shown taking the pictures of his girlfriend off a display and placing them in his file. In the shot where a teacher comes and says "Mason, silver-medal winner", he is shown taking off one picture from the display and lowers it. The shot changes and the picture is suddenly back on the display, which he then takes off a second time. (02:06:10)
Answer: She is divorced from the dad. When Mason's mum leaves him with her kids she says that she has contacted their mother and child services.