American Psycho (2000)

◄ American Psycho (2000)

Anachronisms

The porno movie that goes on during Patrick's telephone conversation with his fiancé is taken from Red Vibe Diaries: Object of Desire, produced in 1997.
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When Patrick is listening to his new Robert Palmer tape, you see the cab drive by an FDNY ambulance. FDNY didn't take over ambulance services until the early 1990s.
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The TV that is shown at the end of the movie with President Reagan speaking is a late '90s model of Sony Trinitron.
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When Bateman is using the pay phone on Park Avenue, the skyscraper in the background says "Met Life", when it should say "Pan Am". Although the building was sold by Pan Am to Met Life in the 1980s, the name displayed on the building wasn't changed until the early 1990s.
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The telephone next to Patrick Bateman's bed is a Bang & Olufsen model not available in the 1980s
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The film is set in 1987. In his apartment, Patrick offers 'Christie' and 'Sabrina' a Varda truffle. Varda Chocolatiers was not established until 1989.
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Early in the movie, Bateman comments that he is listening to the new Robert Palmer album. The song that's heard during this scene is "Simply Irresistible", which was on his album Heavy Nova, which came out in November 1988.. But the Ronald Reagan speech seen at the end of the movie occurred in early 1987, not 1988.
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While it's true that they Huey Lewis album Fore! is "of the period" and was certainly released by the time the film takes place, it was not available on the Compact Disc format until October 25, 1990.
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Several of the CDs seen in in the film appear to be silver, blank "burned" CDs. CD burning software was not available to the public until the late 1990s.
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The song heard playing in the night club at one point is "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" by Information Society, which was released in 1988. However, the movie is set in 1987.
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Towards the end of the movie, Patrick runs by a subway entrance that lists the 9 train. The 9 train was first established in 1989, two years after the setting of this film.
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Audio/visual unsynchronised

When Patrick Bateman is "watching" The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (while exercising) the screams of Sally Hardesty are inconsistent with the original soundtrack.
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As Jean is leaving Patrick's apartment, she reminds Patrick of his lunch appointment the following day, but the second-half of Jean's line appears to have been dubbed. It is unclear what the actress was actually saying.
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Boom mic visible

During Detective Kimball's second interview with Bateman, the reflection of the microphone can be seen on the CD to Bateman's right.
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Character error

Patrick attributes the quote, "When I see a pretty girl walking down the street, I think two things. One part wants me to take her out, talk to her, be real nice and sweet and treat her right. The other part just thinks what her head would look like on a stick", to Ed Gein. However, it was actually Ed Kemper.
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Patrick Bateman stated that the Huey Lewis & The News album "Fore!" was released in 1987 when it actually was released in early 1986 as a follow up to their single "The Power of Love".
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When Patrick tries to order drinks at the Tunnel bar, he asks for "two Stoli on the rocks." Instead, he receives two Stoli's up (no ice).
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The album Bateman holds up while entertaining the escorts is Phil Collins' solo album "No Jacket Required", although "In Too Deep" is from the Genesis album "Invisible Touch". Although it seems like a minor error, someone as obsessed with pop music as Bateman is would be unlikely to make such a mistake.
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When being questioned by Detective Kimball, Patrick states on the night of Paul Allen's murder, he was at dinner with a woman named "Veronica". Later, however, when he and Kimball are at lunch, he says he must have had dinner with "Victoria" the following night. He changed the name of the woman. While it is possible Patrick got mixed up, it is unlikely a man of his organization would do such a thing when faced in such a situation.
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Whitney Houston's 1985 debut album entitled "Whitney Houston", contains three number one singles, not four as stated by Patrick when Christie and Elizabeth are making out. Whitney Houston's second album entitled "Whitney", contains four number one singles and was released in 1987.
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Continuity

Bateman is at the Christmas party wearing reindeer antlers. As the camera shot changes from front to rear, the antlers move from behind Bateman's ear to in front of it.
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When Patrick Bateman is being questioned for the first time by Detective Kimball, a pill bottle appears in front of him on the desk blotter between shots.
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During Patrick Bateman's first meeting with Detective Donald Kimball, Jean brings Detective Kimball mineral water that he does not want. She sets the bottle of water and glass on the corner of the desk. During the conversation between Bateman and Kimball, the glass and bottle move from the corner of Bateman's desk to a slightly deeper part of the corner, and an ashtray moves into their original place.
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When Patrick and Evelyn arrive at Espace, Vandon and Stash are sitting next to Bryce and Carruthers when being introduced to Patrick. Later in the conversation, they are sitting on the opposite side of the table.
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In the scene where Patrick is sitting on his couch making reservations for Dorsia, the camera angle from the side shows his hair styled entirely back from his face. When the camera angle switches to the front there is a noticeable lock of hair hanging in front of his face. The camera switches back to the side view and his hair is styled entirely back from his face again.
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During the scene in which Patrick Bateman is discussing the merits of Huey Lewis with Paul Allen, he leaves the bathroom with the axe in his right hand, but the cut to the shot from the living room shows the axe in his left hand as he leaves the bathroom.
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(possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In one of the last scenes where Patrick enters a bar/restaurant, a door to his left has a sign on it saying 'NO EXIT'. However, in the last scene where Patrick is sat down and takes a drink from his glass the door behind him now reads 'THIS IS NOT AN EXIT'.
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Crew or equipment visible

In multiple scenes at Bateman's apartment, the crew and camera operators are visible in the reflection of his bedroom TV.
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Camera and mount are briefly visible in the first shot of the title sequence, reflected in the silver knife (albeit distorted).
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When Bateman is at the ATM getting cash out, the lady walks by him. As he walks to catch up to her, the camera and crew are reflected in the glass of the storefront windows.
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Errors in geography

Bateman's office is supposed to be located downtown, yet the view out his window is clearly of midtown.
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During Patrick's killing spree towards the end of the movie, when he is running between the two nearly-identical buildings, a Canadian flag is intermittently visible flapping out from behind the building on the left, revealing that this scene was shot in the Toronto-Dominion Plaza, not in New York.
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Incorrectly regarded as goofs

While rhapsodising about Genesis' "Invisible Touch" LP, Bateman states that "Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority" on the song "Land Of Confusion." That song's lyrics were written by the band's guitarist/bassist, Mike Rutherford. But all of the songwriting credits on that Genesis album were indiscriminately credited to all three Genesis band members (Banks, Collins, Rutherford), so Patrick wouldn't necessarily know who wrote the lyrics to which specific songs.
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Revealing mistakes

All of the windows show views of the cityscape with the horizontal line far above normal. This signals that the views are backdrops which are set too high. Often one looks up at a character and at the same time looks down on the streets, which is impossible.
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Patrick pronounces "Robert Palmer" as "Robert Parmer", revealing a flaw in Christian Bale's staged American accent.
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'Acquisitions' is spelled incorrectly (as "aquisitions") on all the business cards.
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Spoilers

The goofs below may give away important plot points.

Character error

Bateman could not have killed Jean with the nail gun because that model of nail gun must be plugged into an air compressor for the nails to be fired. If he had pulled the trigger the way he was holding it [without it plugged into anything], nothing would have happened.
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Continuity

When Patrick Bateman is packing a suitcase in Paul Allen's apartment, the light is switched off in the bathroom behind him. But as he stands up and heads for the door the light is now switched on.
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Revealing mistakes

When Bateman hits Paul Allen with the axe for the first time, the blood sprays on him before he actually hits him. Also the blood comes from a different angle than where Allen's head is supposed to be.
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