By: Charlotte Little
Featured, Film, List, TV, , , , , , , , , , ,

Just For Laughs: Film & Television Blunders

The eighth and final season of the fantasy epic Game of Thrones television series concluded in May 2019, signifying the end of an era for the hit show. The saga has unintentionally contributed a handful of viral internet reactions over the years, but the most unusual has to be the sighting of a Starbucks drink during the fourth episode of the final season. The iconic Starbucks coffee cup could be seen in the middle of the shot, causing much embarrassment to the showrunners, and thus inspiring a flurry of viral memes. The notion of a Starbucks franchise acting as canon in this fantastical world filled with medieval violence and monster-slaying was a concept all too amusing for some viewers.

It’s almost impossible to avoid mistakes in moviemaking, whether it’s during the set construction, shot selection, or the editing process. Minute details can be swept to the side when directors are trying to achieve their vision, but those same forgotten details can turn into memorable mistakes for fresh-eyed audiences.

Here are ten examples of goofs seen on both the big screen and the small screen; some are “blink and you miss it” blunders, and some are glaring eyesores.

1. Teleporting Water Bottle in Game of Thrones

The final season of Game of Thrones featured beverages beyond Starbucks coffee. The second major mishap to happen in the eighth season was during the final episode, where a plastic water bottle was seen near Samwell Tarly’s (John Bradly) foot, and then Ser Davos’ (Liam Cunningham) foot moments later.

2. Head Banging Stormtrooper in A New Hope (1977)

As an assembly of stormtroopers rush into a control room in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, one unfortunate stormtrooper bangs his head on the door – a shot which made the final cut.

Watch the clip here.

Captioning courtesy of Matchbox Cineclub

3. Bullet Hole Blunder in Pulp Fiction (1994)

In Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson’s characters enter an apartment to recover a briefcase and bullet holes can be seen in the walls (before the iconic shooting scene takes place).

4. Forgotten Food in Pretty Woman (1990)

During Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts’ character can be seen eating a croissant during one particular scene. The camera cuts to Richard Gere’s character before switching back to Roberts, where she can be seen eating a pancake instead of a croissant. Either Roberts is an impressive competitive eater or someone didn’t have their coffee that morning.

Watch it between 00:20 and 00:40 in this clip.

Captioning courtesy of Matchbox Cineclub

5. Time Travelling Portraits in The Simpsons

In The Simpsons episode “And Maggie Makes Three”, Marge tells Homer that she’s pregnant with their third child, but if you look closely, a picture of their third child, Maggie, can be seen on the living room wall.

A still from the animated television series The Simpsons. An animated yellow woman with tall blue hair, Marge, is pregnant and sitting on a sofa. Homer, an animated yellow bald woman, is standing up and talking to Marge. In the background on the wall, a portrait of Maggie, a yellow baby, can be seen.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

6. Disappearing Handcuffs in The Two Towers (2002)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers opens with the Orcs’ capture of Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). Although they’ve both been taken prisoner, Pippin’s handcuffs magically disappear during a fight scene, moments away from a horse trampling. A few seconds later, the restraints appear on Pippin’s hands again.

Still from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Merry, a white man wearing a scarf over his rustic shirt and jacket, is lying on the ground and screaming. The shot is a close-up bird’s eye view.
Image courtesy of New Line Cinema

7. They can take our lives, but they can never take our cars!

Despite Braveheart (1995) taking place in the 13th century during the First War of Scottish Independence, a bystander car can be seen inconspicuously laying witness to battle.

A blurry still from the film Braveheart. Warriors are riding horses to the right of the shot, but on the left, a silver car can be seen.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

8. Freudian Slip in Titanic (1997)

During the iconic “paint me like your French girls” scene after Rose (Kate Winslet) undresses, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) mistakenly tells her to go “over by the bed”, correcting himself to say, “the couch”. Leonardo DiCaprio messed up his lines, but the crew found it amusing and kept it in the final cut of the film.

Still from the film Titanic. Rose, portrayed by a young Kate Winslet, is a white woman with long curly red hair. She’s peering over the shoulder of Jack, portrayed by a young Leonardo DiCaprio, a white man with floppy blonde hair. Rose has her hand on Jack’s shoulder, and she’s looking at a sketch book that Jack is holding.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

9. More Starbucks?

Quentin Tarantino’s modern fairytale Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) is set in 1969, Los Angeles, and many were quick to spot mistakes. Various scenes feature a Starbucks in the background, but the chain wasn’t formed until 1971. A Starbucks sign can be seen in the background when Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) is talking to a front of house staff member at the movie theatre.

Still from the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Two white men, Leonardo DiCaprio on the left, and Brad Pitt on the right, are standing outside on a street. Brad Pitt’s character is talking to DiCaprio, with his hands on his hips. Pitt is wearing a denim jacket and sunglasses, whereas DiCaprio is wearing a brown leather jacket.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

10. Dinosaur Mistake in Jurassic Park (1993)

This beloved family classic used a combination of CGI and puppetry to create the dinosaurs’ presence, and one of the film’s 341 identified goofs can found during the film’s most iconic scene, where velociraptors are hunting down Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joseph Mazzello). A glimpse of an operator’s hand balancing the velociraptor’s tail can be seen as the shot pans away.

Still from the film Jurassic Park. A shot of a velociraptor dinosaur in a kitchen like room, with a red circle on the dinosaur’s tail, pointing out the operator’s hand.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Header image courtesy of HBO