The Truman Show is one of my all-time favorite movies.
On the surface, the film functions as an enjoyable comedy. But just beneath that, the philosophical implications are staggering. This movie is pure gold.
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Below are 10+ mistakes from The Truman Show that fans didn’t know. Have a look, see what you caught and what you missed the first time around!
1. The shadow knows.
In this scene, Lauren (Sylvia) attempts to tell Truman that his reality is a lie. She’s interrupted by her “father” and forcefully led away.
No one accompanied her father, so who’s casting the second shadow?
2. Truman’s car is three different models.
You may have noticed some slight variations in Truman’s vehicle. That’s because if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that he drives a Taurus GL, LX, and even an SHO!
Their all variations on the Taurus but noticeably different.
3. Actually, the engine is in the back of the bus.
When Truman tries to get on the bus bound for Chicago, he’s forced to exit after the driver encounters engine trouble. If that’s true, why was steam coming out of the front?
GMC buses have their engine and radiator in the back!
4. That stage light should have been obliterated.
Remember when the damaged stage light falls as Truman is on is way to work? If we’re to believe Christof, those lights would have to be miles high in the sky. A fall like that would’ve decimated it.
But aside from a cracked lens, the lamp remains otherwise intact.
5. Those aren’t the same candy bars.
Take a look as Marlon stacks the shelves with candy bars: brown wrapper bars on the bottom and then yellow on top.
When he’s interrupted by Truman, the camera cuts and the yellow bars transform into a completely different brand entirely!
6. Where’d the shopping bag go?
You’re going to want to focus on the woman in the white shirt. As you can see, she’s holding a shopping bag with a floral print in her right hand.
But right after she walks past Truman, something happens…
All of a sudden, the bag is gone!
I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no — the bag isn’t in her other hand. This is supposed to be one continuous shot, but clearly something happened.
Kinda tough to unsee this one, if I’m being honest.
7. What happened to the head of lettuce?
Remember when Meryl brings home the Chef’s pal to show Truman? As she takes it out of the paper bag, there’s a head of lettuce next to the bread.
But then when the camera cuts, the lettuce disappears from sight.
8. How did the knot untie itself?
Before the storm hits, Truman uses the rope to tie himself down to the boat — so that he doesn’t get tossed overboard.
As you can see, the knot is tightly tied around his right thigh.
But then voila! The rope around Truman’s leg manages to untie itself.
Not only that, but the rope is once again rigged up properly to the mast!
Truman is easily able to hoist the mainsail and continue on with his journey.
9. How did Truman manage to dry off?
After the giant man-made storm that Truman encounters on the water, his boat reaches the end of the pool and crashes into the wall.
If you notice, Truman’s hair as well as his clothes are bone-dry. Even though he just went through a literal hurricane!
10. Meryl’s seat belt keeps unbuckling.
After Truman discovers that the pedestrians in his neighborhood are on a loop — watch Meryl’s seat belt.
As they speed away, the camera reveals the belt is done up. But as soon as the angle changes to the interior, it’s unbuckled again.
11. The rain wouldn’t have been able to follow Truman that quickly.
One of the more revealing scenes that Truman’s life is a fantasy comes when the single rainstorm follows him as he moves.
Those shower heads would need to be hundreds of feet up so as to not be seen. Yet it appears in the scene as if they’re just a few feet above Truman’s head?
12. Perspectives on Truman’s trunk.
This is probably one of the worst mistakes of the entire film. Watch as Truman opens his trunk in the basement.
The entire contents change completely as the camera changes from a wide-angle to a closeup shot.
13. That’s a boom mic reflecting in Truman’s luggage!
When the travel agent asks Truman when he’d like to depart for his flight, he taps his suitcase twice and says “Today.”
Pause the frame just right and you’ll see a boom mic in the reflective plastic of the luggage.
