Goofs

Continuity: Joel’s cigarette while “selling” the party in the diner.

Continuity: When running to catch the egg thrown by Guido, Joel goes to run over the couch by stepping on it with his left foot. In the next shot, it is his right foot.

Continuity: While Joel is attempting to catch the egg Guido’s truck empties itself.

Factual errors: The Chicago transit system did not run single-car trains on its underground routes in 1983.

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the car scenes, the engine note is not from a Porsche 928, but from a Ferrari V8 instead.
Audio/visual unsynchronized: The 6000 series “L” uses dynamic brakes and not air brakes, during many of the “L” scenes you can hear the sound of air brakes releasing.

Factual errors: When Joel is raking leaves at the end of the movie, he pauses and takes a cigarette out of a pack of Marlboro Reds. The cigarette is all white – Marlboro Reds have brown filters.

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the brothel scene, when the hooker places her hand on the boy’s knee and scares him away, we see a drummer and a pianist playing in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, but we hear a recorded version of “D.M.S.R” by Prince. They are also visible just before Joel complains to Lana that some of the girls are wearing his mother’s clothing, and once again we hear recorded music.

Continuity: When Joel is driving the car home from the garage, the front license plate is shown prominently, it’s for New Jersey, despite the fact that the story takes place in Chicago.

Crew or equipment visible: When Lana enters Joel’s room while he is studying, a crew-member grabs the doorknob.

Continuity: When Lana is running across the lawn, she’s barefoot, but in the very next scene, when you see her running from behind, she’s wearing heels.

Continuity: Right after Joel’s parents leave for the airport, Joel is eating a T.V. dinner and is pouring himself a Chivas and Coke. When he is pouring the Coke, some of it spills onto the table in the close shot. When they show the wide shot the table is clean.

Continuity: Toward the end of the movie, a moving van can be seen on the street filled with furniture. But when it drives away, the van is empty.