Continuity mistake: When Harrison Ford is watching his wife laying in the bathtub ready to drown, the camera shoots her head several times between cutaways to Ford and the running water. Watch her head relative to the top of the tub in the various shots. In some her head is much higher than in others yet her body never moves.
What Lies Beneath (2000)
1 review
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Remar, Miranda Otto, Amber Valletta, Joe Morton, Diana Scarwid, Katharine Towne
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What Lies Beneath is Robert Zemeckis' homage to Alfred Hitchcock thrillers in this haunted tale of a prominent professor and his wife experiencing disturbing visions and strange occurrences when they move into his family's suburban home and their daughter goes off to college. Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer star as the unfortunate couple, whose marriage and sanity unravel as suspicions about a possible murder grow. Tense, well-acted and entertaining from start to finish, What Lies Beneath won't let you escape its grasp once it draws you into the mystery and danger.
More mistakes in What Lies Beneath
Claire Spencer: Norman's father had this old stuffy... stately place on a lake.
Norman: Which we're renovating.
Claire Spencer: Practically gutted.
Norman: No, we didn't.
Claire Spencer: Yes, we did.
Norman: "Gutted"?
Trivia: There are more than a few Hitchcock references in this movie. Most notably Harrison Ford's character - Norman (Psycho), suspecting the neighbour of murdering his wife (Rear Window), Michelle Pfeiffer falling in the shower and pulling the shower curtain down with her (Psycho). There are many others if you watch for them.
Question: If Norman married Claire when she was "touring with a baby" (Caitlin), why is he not referred to as Caitlin's stepfather? When they take her to college, Claire refers to him as "Norman" when speaking to her. I've seen the movie a few times and always thought this was a little odd. Many people would even think of a stepfather as "father" if he was the one who raised them for most of their life.
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Answer: There's no rule about how a step-father is referred to. Caitlin may simply not consider him a father figure to remain close to her real dad. Many step-children call their step-parent by their first name, regardless of how long the parents have been married. Most likely this is a plot device so that the audience isn't confused about or doesn't forget that Norman is not Caitlin's real father. Some may be offended by a father killing his biological child's mother. It makes Norman less attached to either Claire or Caitlin.
raywest ★
I am not trying to be rude, but have you seen this movie? You say that Caitlin might be close to her real dad. He is dead. Claire was "touring with a baby" after he died, and then she met Norman. Hence why I found the situation a bit odd. Norman has been in Caitlin's life since she was a "baby."
Azalea
I saw the movie some years ago and don't remember every small detail. However, my main point was that calling Norman by his first name was a plot device to keep the audience focused on him not being Caitlin's biological father. This kept his character more detached from Claire and Caitlin, and made him less sympathetic. It showed an emotional/personal divide existed between Norman and Claire and her daughter. He has less resistance in killing Claire if they did not share a biological child.
raywest ★