Continuity mistake: The bottle of Peach Schnapps that Trip (Josh Hartnett) brings to the dance is alternately full and half empty during the scene. When Trip pulls it out, it is new and unopened. He hands it to Lux to drink, at which time it is nearly empty. He then drinks from it, and it is about half-full. He next hands it to the other couple, at which time the bottle is nearly full again. (00:57:56)
Continuity mistake: When the Lisbon girls are surrounding the tree stopping the guy from cutting it down, between shots Therese's scarf changes position during shots. (01:12:00)
Continuity mistake: At Tripp's first visits to Lux's family, when he gets up to leave, Lux gets up also. She is clearly wearing light blue colored jeans. When she walks Tripp to the door, she's wearing black colored jeans or black sweatpants.
Other mistake: Hayden Christensen's character is credited as Jake Hill Conley (seen in both the end credits and on IMDB) but when they explain who each boy is and why they were picked to take the girls to the dance, the voice-over calls him Joe Hill Conley.
Continuity mistake: During the scene when Peter Sisten is eating dinner with the Lisbons, Cecilia is not wearing her bandages on her arms. In the scenes immediately before (Cecilia in the psychiatrist's office) and after (the girls lounging on the front yard) Cecilia has the bandages on.
Suggested correction: I'm not sure if your entry isn't correct, but I found the beginning scenes confusing and got the impression that they were not meant to be sequential. There appeared to be flashbacks after it was stated that "Cecilia was the first to go" and Cecilia told the one doctor, "Obviously... you've never been a thirteen-year-old girl." The neighborhood boys were talking about things that had happened (going over evidence), including Dominic wearing sunglasses and jumping off the roof, Peter going to dinner at the Lisbon's house, and Paul's story about getting into houses and being the first to find Cecilia on her first attempt. These seemed like tidbits about boys' behaviors that offered some explanation as to why Cecilia did not want to grow up in that kind of society. I think the story picks up again when Cecilia and two sisters are outside by the tree - where Cecilia is wearing the wrist wraps again.
Continuity mistake: When Lux is sitting outside and the guy she is with is throwing grass at her, some grass appears in a close shot, on her shoulder where there wasn't any before.
Factual error: In the scene where the boys are driving to (or from) the dance, while driving down the street, you can clearly see a 1988-1991 Honda Civic hatchback in a driveway. Obviously this car was overlooked since this movie was set in the 1970's.
Continuity mistake: After Cecelia's tree is cut down, there is a shot of the house, and the tree is back upright again.
Other mistake: The news reporter who comes to interview the family after Cecilia's death tells Mrs. Lisbon she's from Channel 2, when in fact we can see from her news report moments later a Channel 8 logo on the screen (and on her truck).
Suggested correction: While acknowledging the Ch 2/Ch 8 inconsistency, I'd assert that this does not necessarily constitute a continuity mistake. First, the reporter stated that she is "doing a piece for Channel 2." Lydia Perl could be a freelance journalist or reporter, working for more than one station. Or, she could be a full-time employee for one station and part-time for another, or even part-time for several different stations. Second, it is not shown if she drove a personal vehicle or arrived in a Channel 8 van (like she does in a later scene), so it is possible she was working for Channel 2 at the time but her reports were shared by the Associated Press or whatever. Third, the station being viewed when Ch 8 was posted in the corner was not necessarily tuned to Ch 8. Fourth, with multiple cable and satellite TV stations, it is possible that Ch 2 on one network is Ch 8 on another. Had Lydia Perl not told Mrs. Lisbon that she was "doing a piece for Ch 2", I'd agree that it is a continuity mistake.
Visible crew/equipment: During football practice, right after Kevin Head offers Trip three joints to take one of the Lisbon girls to homecoming, the shadow of the boom pole is visible on Trip's head and back.
Factual error: A medical examiner or coroner (or other physician) typically determines cause of death, so unless Father Moody had a medical degree, his statement to Mr. And Mrs. Lisbon - he "listed Cecilia's death as an accident" - would not be official. It also isn't revealed exactly where Father Moody made such a listing.
Suggested correction: It wouldn't be necessary for the death certificate to list "accidental death", only for the priest to do so for church records so she could be buried in a holy cemetery.
