Goofs for
Absence of Malice (1981) More at IMDbPro »

• Factual errors: Megan sends Gallagher a copy of the front page of the next morning's daily newspaper at least 12 hours before the edition even went to print. In reality, the front page is never laid out until the last minute before deadline to insure the most current news.
  
  
• Factual errors: The union workers who struck Michael told him that if their union cards were pulled they would not be able to work anywhere. Florida is a right to work state and you don't need to have a union card to work. They would be considered "scabs" but they would be able to work at any dock in Miami.
  
  
• Factual errors: Except for the character of James Quinn (Don Hood), all of the other attorneys and law enforcement people (played by, among others, Bob Balaban, Wilford Brimley, and Barry Primus) are clearly federal officers. Brimley's character also refers to Quinn at one point as having been appointed by the President. Yet Quinn is also told by Balaban's character that he is too involved in "local politics," and Quinn is consistently referred to as the "district attorney." A federally-appointed prosecutor, however, is always referred to as the "United States Attorney" while only state or county prosecutors are called a "district attorney."
  
  

• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Megan, a reporter who would make a good editor according to her colleague, sends Michael a note containing two spelling errors. It reads "Michael: This is tomorrow's page one - just in case you've cancelled your sibscription - I'm happy for you."
  
  
• Continuity: Other date continuity errors: After Meghan says that the year is 1981 and Michael prints a cashier's check dated Dec. 11, 1980, Meghan gives him the clipping announcing that the investigation is off; the clipping is dated November 22, 1980. Still later Michael gets another cashier's check dated December 16.
  
  

• Continuity: SPOILER: When Megan Carter (Sally Field) in interviewing Teresa Perron (Melinda Dillon) and Perron admits that she had an abortion, Carter tries to minimize the significance of her admission by saying, "It's 1981. People will understand." Sometime thereafter, when Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman) purchases a cashier's check, the check is dated "December 11, 1980." Although the December date is consistent with the Christmas tree seen later in Carter's apartment, Carter would not have said "It's 1981" even earlier in the previous year.
  
  

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