I sometimes wonder how we ever survived before the Internet. With the Internet, you can research just about anything. These days, before I watch any movie, my new favorite hobby is to do an Internet check on one of the many movie websites that are out there. A check for what, you ask? I check for movie blunders or bloopers-- mistakes, or whatever else you want to call them. Things that made it into the film that shouldn't have. Things that the director overlooked in the final cut. Yes, my husband and I have become pros on what movie faux pas to look for and when. Here are a few of our favorite movie blunders. Look for them next time you watch these flicks:
-- Last of the Mohicans (1992). This epic film starring Daniel Day Lewis has several great blunders within it. One of my favorites is a scene near the beginning of the movie where one of the characters is about to shoot an elk. You can see a stagehand in a red baseball cap in the woods, shooing the elk out of the woods. In another scene, as the English guys are about to surrender their fort, you can see a large Greyhound style bus in the background. Keep in mind this film is set in the 1700's, long before baseball caps and buses were in vogue.
-- Fatal Attraction (1987). Glenn Close starred in this film as a terrifying psychopath out to get revenge on her married lover. During the famous bunny boiling scene, you can see the cameraman's reflection prominently in one of the windows.
-- It's A Wonderful Life (1946). The wonderful Jimmy Stewart starred in this classic holiday movie, but it wasn't without its blunders. The most noticeable mistake? In the scene that takes place the day before Christmas, as George Bailey (Stewart) cheerfully goes into the Bailey Building and Loan, he is carrying a Christmas wreath. He takes the wreath off of his arm and puts it down to use the telephone. You then see the wreath still on his arm while he is talking on the phone.
-- A Christmas Story (1983). This wonderful film, written and narrated by the great Jean Shephard, is set in the 1940's. What's funny is how modern day (1980's) cars are clearly seen out on the road in one scene.
-- Jerry Maguire (1996). Tom Cruise starred in this movie as a down on his luck sports agent. In one scene, when he goes to visit one of his clients, Jerry (Cruise) is driving a Dodge brand car. Yet when he leaves his client's house, he is driving another type of car.
Tips for spotting movie blunders: Pay attention to details. Look in the background for people or vehicles that shouldn't be there. Look for props and signs that aren't in synch with the time period that the movie is set in. Look for random camera people who make it into the film. Just about every film has a blunder or two.