🔙 to

 _____ ____ _____ _____  ____
(___  ) _  (___  |____ |/ _  |
 / __( (_| |/ __// ___ ( (_| |
(_____)___ (_____)_____|\___ |
     (_____|           (_____|

Best of IMDB Goofs

I love the open textboxes on the internet. Sites establish an intended purpose for these textboxes, but occasionally someone writes in a way that teaches us more about them than the main topic.

IMDB's goof pages provide an open textbox to report unintentional errors that disrupt the immersion for nitpicky viewers. Most comments are complaints about tiny continuity errors between shots, but some comments are much more bizarre, like a factual error that is so hyper-specific that it feels like an expert on an obscure topic finally found their one opportunity to flex. Occasionally a comment really captures the author's rage that compelled them to find a textbox on IMDB to try to deligitimize the movie.

Below are some of my favorites, they're screenshots I've taken over these last three years when I started this habit of always reading the goofs after watching a movie. Some of them also make a fun game where you try to guess the movie from its goof.

The goofs

Jean Hamilton (Heather Locklear) answers BADGER to a clue in a New York Times crossword puzzle. It's highly unlikely that she was correctly answering a clue, as the last time BADGER appeared as an answer in the New York Times was October 06, 1997.
The Perfect Man (2005)
The elastic on the men's Fruit of the Loom Briefs had the brand name printed on them which did not happen until years later. At that time the film was set, it was just the blue and yellow stripes.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Audio/visual unsynchronized. The sisters have a 'Dualit' toaster in their kitchen. At one point the toaster makes a loud 'ping' noise and the toast shoots out. That model of Dualit doesn't do that. It has a lever that you have to use to manually lift out the toast. It doesn't ping either, it has a dial that counts down the seconds with a clockwork grind, and then just stops.
Practical Magic (1998)
Factual Error. The police discover after Emily goes missing that she rented a car from Budget paying with cash. Budget Rent-A-Car does not allow vehicle rentals without payment via credit or debit card, nor do any others in the US. Further, they require a valid driver's license as well, and thus would've already had a record of Emily's rental even if she didn't use a card to pay for it.
A Simple Favor (2018)
Factual Error. At the beginning, Zenon's alarm clock says it is Monday, April 18, 2049. April 18, 2049 is actually a Sunday.
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
Incorrectly Regarded as Goof. Derek Smeath violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at least 4 times: calling Rebecca at work, refusing to leave her job when asked by the receptionist, telling his colleague to threaten her with public humiliation, and his entire diatribe during the television show. However, many *real* debt collectors ignore FDCPA, since it's not enforceable if no one complains, and many debt collectors assume that most debtors don't know about it.
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Factual Error. Immediately after Vera and Merrill first meet, Merrill receives a phone call where she states that some merchandise must ship immediately to get in stores by Mother's Day. Since Mother's Day in the USA always falls in mid-May, we should conclude that this film takes place in April (or possibly early May). Yet this is inconsistent with the fact that Owen had refereed a NFL game just one week earlier, since the superbowl occurs at the end of January, and pre-season play does not start up until August.
Rat Race (2001)
Factual Error. When Jack is racing for the end zone during the football game, the camera cuts to the clock counting down as if he is "racing" to get to the goal line before the clock hits zero. In a movie that was supposed to have so much to do with football/cheerleading, it's amazing that the writer/director didn't realize that since the play started during regulation, it wouldn't matter if Jack crossed the goal line with 0:00 on the clock; however, the scene is shot as if when the clock hits 0:00 and Jack was short of the end zone, the play would end.
Sugar & Spice (2001)
Anachronism. Florence uses the phrase "24-7", a saying that didn't come into use until the mid-1980s.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
Anachronism. After his vision the child Sivana tries to open the rear door of the car but can't because it is child-locked. After the crash though he is able to open it without issue. Many modern cars are designed to unlock their doors in a crash, so that occupants can be rescued; US Patent 9334681B2 releases the child lock, so the occupants can escape, but it wasn't filed until 2015.
Shazam (2019)
The character of "Kate" is considered to be the most popular girl in school. However, at the time of the films release (2003), dressing like the first lady in the 1980s was not considered popular.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

If this was mildly interesting to you, I also love getting a glimpse into a random person's life through bizarre Yelp/Google Reviews. I made a page reviewing their reviews here.