Continuity mistake: In the beginning scene, Nick has a conversation with his doctor in the Perkins Sanitarium. The shot after Nick says "When I came back from New York I was disgusted" shows the doctor open his file. When he opens up the file, Nick's name is placed next to patient name and below it is "Patient Report (by board of examiners)." In this shot the "N" is directly above the "Y" in "by." But in a quick close-up of the file,"N" is now directly above the "O" in "board." (00:02:00)
Continuity mistake: When Nick is telling the doctor about his new cottage near the start, he goes to his porch with a book and stands next to one of the pillars. In a wide angle, he is standing next to a pillar with leaves around the pillar, but in a sudden close-up the leaves around the pillar have vanished. (00:04:40)
Continuity mistake: When the doctor says "He was your neighbour", Nick's head looks out the window in a 180 degree direction. In the next shot, his head is suddenly turned 90 degrees to the right. (00:05:20)
Continuity mistake: Just after Nick finishes the first part of his story where he says Gatsby was his neighbour, Nick stands in front of the right hand side window. It then cuts to inside the sanitarium and he is suddenly standing in the middle window. (00:05:20)
Continuity mistake: When Nick says to Daisy she is missed in Chicago, she says "How gorgeous." The shot cuts back to Nick. In this shot, his tie perfectly straight, camera cuts and his tie is slanted a little. (00:07:35)
Continuity mistake: During the dinner scene at Tom's, a couple of shots before Tom's phone rings and he goes to answer it, Nick's wine glass is about half full. After Daisy leaves to go to Tom and the shot cuts back to Nick, the level of wine in his glass has notably decreased, without him touching it. (00:09:50)
Continuity mistake: When Jordan goes to listen on Tom and Daisy's conversation after Tom goes to the phone, Nick asks "Something happening?" This shot shows his head half turned to Jordan. In the next shot, his head is even more turned than before. (00:10:15)
Continuity mistake: After Nick finishes telling the part of the story in which he saw Gatsby on the dock, he has a finger placed on the glass. In the extreme close-up, the other three fingers to the right of him are raised to the same level of the finger on the glass, just a little bit lower. Yet in the next shot, the other three fingers are suddenly lowered notably. (00:13:30)
Continuity mistake: During the first party scene, when Nick is ascending the stairs having a conversation with an unknown Gatsby, it cuts to a wide shot where Gatsby is standing at the top beginning to turn and give his "I'm Gatsby" line, it then cuts back to Nick and Gatsby continuing their ascent of the stairs. When they reach the top Gatsby is now in the position shown from the wide shot. (00:29:20 - 00:30:15)
Continuity mistake: As Jordan walks to Gatsby's room at his party, she begins to walk and has already walked past a waiter who goes to take a step forward. But in the following wide angle, Jordan is yet to walk past the waiter who is now standing still. (00:31:55)
Continuity mistake: When Gatsby and Nick are driving in the car, Gatsby asks Nick "What is your opinion of me anyhow?" After he finishes this line, his mouth is open. But in the next shot, his mouth is suddenly closed with no time to do so. (00:36:05)
Continuity mistake: Just after Gatsby asks Nick his opinion of him, there is a cut to a low angle of him driving. In the shot from behind the car, the number plate is on the right hand side of the back of the car. This is only visible for a fraction of a second, so you have to be quick when you look at this. 2 shots later, the number plate has moved to the left side of the back of the car. (00:36:10)
Continuity mistake: As Gatsby and Nick overtake a truck on a bend, he swerves in front of the truck to avoid an oncoming car. In the very next shot, he is not in front of the truck, nor is there an oncoming car. (00:36:30)
Continuity mistake: When Gatsby says "I was bought up in America" when he is driving with Nick, he is looking straight forward. In an instant close-up of Gatsby, he is suddenly looking at Nick. (00:36:30)
Continuity mistake: As Nick narrates "The way he spoke" during the driving scene, he is looking forward in one shot, but looking slightly to the right in the next. (00:36:35)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Meyer is having a conversation with Nick in the bar, the dancers on the stage begin to walk off and walk around the bar. One of them walks behind Meyer and places her hands on his shoulder, but in the next shot, the dancer's hands are no longer on his shoulder. (00:42:50)
Continuity mistake: When Gatsby, Nick and Daisy have tea together, a shot of all three shows Nick and Daisy to the left of Gatsby. Camera switches angles and Gatsby is now in a different position than the previous shot. (00:56:50)
Continuity mistake: After Gatsby shows Daisy his scrapbook of her, his phone rings. He walks over to it, picks it up and answers it. He has the phone in his right hand and the rest of the phone in his left. In the front shot, his left arm is bent whilst he holds it, but in the reverse angle, his arm is now rested. (01:05:30)
Continuity mistake: At Gatsby's second party, a band starts playing. The shot cuts to Gatsby, Nick, Daisy and Tom watching them. In this shot, Gatsby and Tom are a foot or two away from each other, but in a sudden close-up of the two, they are suddenly closer together. (01:12:30)
Continuity mistake: When a band starts playing at Gatsby's party, Gatsby and Tom look and smile to each other. In the next shot, Tom is suddenly not smiling and looking straight forward at the band. (01:12:35)
Chosen answer: This has been answered before. Gatsby grew up in a poor, mid-western family. He is a self-made millionaire (through illegal means) but pretends he comes from wealthy, upper-class society. He has adopted a fake posh accent to help support the illusion of his bogus background. It is how he believes well-bred people speak.
raywest ★