Everyone loves bleepers…er, bloppers…er, we mean bloopers. Here are a few great ones from the silver screen. (This article was first published in Uncle John’s Curiously Compelling Bathroom Reader.)
Movie: Goldfinger (1964)
Scene: Dressed as Army soldiers, Goldfinger’s crew breaks into Fort Knox and disables personnel with nerve gas.
Blooper: They’re wearing Air Force insignias on their Army uniforms.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Scene: Maria (Julie Andrews) is riding on a bus singing “I Have Confidence in Me.”
Blooper: The bus is supposed to be moving…but the mountains in the background never change.
Free Willy (1993)
Scene: Randolph and Jesse are sitting inside by a window reading a book together.
Blooper: At the beginning of the scene, the sun is shining brightly. Two minutes later, it’s pitch black outside.
Crash (2004)
Scene: Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon) is talking on the phone about his father’s health insurance.
Blooper: Ryan is a patrolman, but he’s wearing sergeant stripes.
Annie Hall (1977)
Scene: The end credits.
Blooper: Christopher Walken’s name is listed as “Christopher Wlaken.”
9 to 5 (1980)
Scene: Violet (Lily Tomlin) gets stopped by the police for a broken taillight.
Blooper: When the car pulls away, both taillights are working fine.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Scene: Napoleon dances to a funk song after Pedro’s class president speech.
Blooper: During the dance, Napoleon’s shirt is tucked in, then it’s untucked, then tucked back in, then untucked, then tucked in again.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Scene: In a flashback scene, Mary Magdalene (Charlotte Graham) leaves Jerusalem. As she walks, the Dome of the Rock is clearly visible in the background.
Blooper: This landmark was built in the 7th century…about 700 years after Mary Magdalene died.
Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Scene: The Angels are fighting the Thin Man (Crispin Glover).
Blooper: Just before Dylan (Drew Barrymore) lifts up Alex (Lucy Liu) to kick the Thin Man, she calls her “Lucy,” not “Alex.”
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
Scene: Three BMWs chase Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie).
Blooper: The movie is supposed to take place in New York City. So why do we see a street sign reading “Los Angeles City Limits”?
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Scene: The shuttle crew discovers the monolith on the moon. As they gaze at it, moon dust begins to blow around.
Blooper: There is no wind on the moon—it has no atmosphere.
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Scene: Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Clare Danes) lie dead.
Blooper: Romeo blinks.
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Scene: Mr. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) complains that his meal at a restaurant in Milan, Italy, costs $9.
Blooper: They didn’t use dollars in Italy…they used lire.
