Top 10 Glaring Movie Courtroom Mistakes

Nothing is perfect in this world and this includes movie courtroom scenes as well. While most directors tend to spend a lot of time in fine-tuning the acting and the script, many small mistakes are overlooked.
We have compiled a list of the Top 10 Glaring Movie Courtroom Mistakes for you to enjoy. If you have not noticed them before, then this is a good chance to watch your favorite movies again!

1. Legally Blonde (2001)

Legally Blonde is an American comedy that also has its fair share of entertaining courtroom bloopers. In one courtroom scene, Paulette is seen with a UPS delivery guy who has one white stitch and two brown stitches on his nose. At the end of the scene, the same guy has only two white stitches on his nose and the brown ones have disappeared! Witherspoon’s makeup glitches are also obvious through many scenes. In one such scene, as she walks out of the courtroom after winning the case, she has a blonde and wavy hair. Warner, her ex-boyfriend, tries to woo her in the next scene, and voila, Witherspoon has a darker shade with curls at the end!

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2. The Rain Maker (1997)

Based on a famous novel by John Grisham, The Rain Maker has a lot of glaring movie courtroom mistakes! In one scene, Rudy Baylor hands over a document to Keeley that is about four inches thick. When Keeley returns it back, it’s only about an inch thick.

In another mistake, the computer printout that Keeley has to read opens like a book. Also, it is in a landscape mode and that means it’s impossible for a human being to read through its contents. It’s a wonder how director Francis Coppola made Keeley “read” that print.

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3. To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962)

This favorite classic also provides ample entertaining courtroom bloopers for the keen-eyed viewers. In one courtroom scene, the image of the film is reversed and this is reflected on Atticus’s hair. This makes the hair look silvery in one scene and black in the next.

As everyone exits the courtroom, the position of a water glass changes. In the first scene, it is on the right side of Atticus as he prepares to leave the room, and in the next scene it appears on his left side! During the two scenes, the position of Atticus has not changed, and he is seen collecting his documents and putting them in a bag.

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4. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

My Cousin Vinny is a popular American comedy that also has some funny and glaring movie courtroom mistakes. Towards the end of the movie, Vinny walks out of the courtroom and is congratulated by Stan and the sheriff. Behind Vinny, a lady with a bright red sweater is exiting the courtroom. In the next scene, the judge congratulates Vinny and as he drives away with Lisa, the same lady with bright red sweater is leaving the same place again!

This movie also has a factual error. As the district attorney opens his case, he convicts William Gambini of first degree murder and Rothenstein as an accessory to the first degree. Alabama has no such law for convicting an accessory to a murder. This is a serious mistake that was overlooked by the director as he takes pride in his “attention to detail” in the DVD version.

Check out our list where My Cousin Vinny ranks for bad examples of expert witness testimony.

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5. A Few Good Men (1992)

The blockbuster, A Few Good Men,  has numerous glaring movie courtroom mistakes too! In one scene, Jack Ross calls his expert witness to the stand and he stands between the defense counsel and the podium. In the next scene that is shot at a wider angle, Ross is seen standing behind his table as the witness walks to the podium. In the third scene, which is a close shot, he is seen standing close to the podium again. It’s a mystery how Ross can move so seamlessly within the courtroom!

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6. 12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men features some of the most entertaining courtroom bloopers with the shadows of the camera. When juror 8 moves towards juror 4, the shadow of the camera is seen on juror 3. In another scene, as Fonda is trying to recreate the testimony of the old man, the shadow of the camera can be seen on the floor.

Besides the camera, the watch also seems to have gone wrong in the movie. When Fonda recreates the testimony of the old man, he walks towards the door and asks a juror to time it. This is one scene with no cuts and yet the juror says that it took 41 seconds for Fonda to walk across when our watches show only 30 seconds!

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7. Philadelphia (1993)

Philadelphia is an intense drama that keeps viewers so engrossed that its courtroom mistakes are also fairly visible. When Ms. Conine examines Andy, she asks him about lesions on his face and he says there is one on his left ear. But no such lesion is visible even when the camera zooms in on Andy’s face; and this does not make it a “visible” one.

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8. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Even the latest courtroom drama movie is not without entertaining courtroom bloopers! In one scene, Minton twirls a pen with his fingers as he calls the rebuttal witness, and in the next scene his hands are neatly placed on his lap.

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9. A Time To Kill (1996)

This John Grisham adaptation features some glaring movie courtroom mistakes. The district attorney addresses Looney as a “detective” when in fact, he is a deputy. This is an evident error that can make any director red in the face. (A Time to Kill is also on our list of Top 5 Worst Movie Examples of Expert Witnesses.)

10. In the Name of the Father (1993)

This powerful Irish drama brought tears to the eyes of many viewers, but that did not make them overlook a few mistakes. Towards the end of the courtroom scene, the hairstyle of Paul Hill changes so much that one shot shows ponytails while the next doesn’t. In fact, the ponytail is present only at times during the court scene! In another scene, the shirt color of Daniel Day-Lewis changes when he leaves the courtroom.

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We hope our list of Top 10 Glaring Movie Courtroom Mistakes give you a hearty laugh when you watch these flicks again! There are certainly more examples than then these of entertaining courtroom bloopers. We’d love to read your comments or top-10 list!