Continuity mistake: When Lester is talking about the car he's just bought, the beer on the table has its label facing the camera. On the reverse shots, it's still facing the camera. The label doesn't wrap round - later on we see that there's one front label and nothing on the back. (01:11:58)
Continuity mistake: After Lester throws the pillow, it bounces off the couch and lands in the chair. In the next shot it's gone, but reappears in the following shot. (01:14:10)
Continuity mistake: When Lester is drinking from the blender in the kitchen, the amount changes the wrong way. First it's half full, then a third full, then half full again. (01:20:45)
Continuity mistake: In the kitchen near the end of the film when Angela asks Lester if he's been working out, there is no sweat on his arm in four successive medium shots. When she touches the arm in the close-up, it is glistening wet. (01:32:35)
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the film, Angela comments on Lester's shape. At this point, Lester is sitting on the counter with his arms stretched, supporting himself. But when Angela touches his arm, his elbow is bent. (01:32:57)
Continuity mistake: At the end, when Carolyn pulls over to the side of the road in the rain, the first shot shows her windshield wipers going, then in the close-up from outside, they are not, then from the inside of the van, they are going again. (01:36:22)
Continuity mistake: When Lester is drinking from the blender in the kitchen, the bottles in front of the kitchen window are rearranged in between the shots.
Visible crew/equipment: In the very beginning of the movie when Lester is in the shower masturbating, you can see the reflection of the camera crew in the shower door as they pan across the shower.
Continuity mistake: Lester decides to exercise his body after listening a conversation between his daughter and her friend Angela. He goes to the garage and looks for his instruments, dropping several things to the floor. We can see some of them, but a second later when he didn't even tried to pick them up, a big one has suddenly dissappeared and never comes back.
Continuity mistake: When Carolyn is outside waiting for her family to hop on the car, the position of her hand differs between the front and back shots.
Continuity mistake: During the cheerleader routine, the passers-by behind them disappear/are not continuous between shots.
Factual error: When Jane answers her phone after Lester calls Angela, she doesn't press any button to answer the call.
Continuity mistake: When Carolyn and Buddy are together at Mr. Smiley's drive-thru, Lester hears them at the order menu ordering, but when it cuts to Carolyn and Buddy in the car they are seen driving up to the order menu.
Visible crew/equipment: Camera equipment is visible in the scene where we first see the Real Estate King's vehicle at the motel. It is reflected near the license plate of the car.
Continuity mistake: When Carolyn calls Lester and Jane out whilst honking the horn, the shot changes from her to the house several times. Each time the shot is facing the house the side mirror is flapped in and while facing her it isn't. Additionally, in the same scene when Lester comes out, his briefcase opens and his cellphone falls out toward the car out of reach, when he picks it up again it's right next to him.
Answer: There's no mention that he had a mental disorder. He likely suffers from the emotional abuse his father inflicted on him throughout his entire childhood, which included sending Ricky to a military academy and forcibly committing him to a psychiatric facility (for unknown reasons). This probably contributed to Ricky's later eccentric behavior and drug use.
raywest ★