Plot holes are an interesting character study for an audience. For some, it means practically nothing; it’s fiction, so they don’t care if not everything holds up to close scrutiny. Just enjoy the movie, right?
For others, it can bring the entire house of cards crashing down on top of them. Either way, it’s always fun to find these missed mistakes, especially in Oscar-nominated films.
“Face/Off” is built on a beautifully simple premise: John Travolta‘s FBI agent switches faces with Nicolas Cage‘s criminal mastermind to stop a terrorist plot, only to have his life threatened when the criminal puts on the agent’s face. It seems insane, however, that Travolta’s family, especially his wife, never seems to notice the difference in everything below the face. The movie explains that the process alters the entire body along with the face, but it still seems like a stupidly oversimplistic explanation to cover up a plot hole.
“Titanic” contributed one of the fiercest arguments movie history has ever seen: After the ship sinks, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) drags Rose (Kate Winslet) to a large, floating door to act as a life raft. Jack stays in the water to preserve Rose’s chances and ends up freezing to death, breaking the hearts of many teenage girls. Many have since questioned why Jack couldn’t fit on such a large door.
Movie explanation: director James Cameron has long contested that it wasn’t the size of the door that kept Jack off, but rather the weight distribution and buoyancy. To be fair, Jack tries to get on right after Rose, but immediately stops when the door threatens to capsize.
“The Karate Kid” has lived in pop culture since the 1980s for three reasons: wax on/wax off, “sweep the leg,” and the famous crane kick, in which Daniel LaRusso defeated the school bully, won the tournament and earned everybody’s respect with one swift move.
However, one of the most famous endings in Hollywood history is actually built on a cheat, as the competition officials had said early in the tournament that kicks to the face were illegal. Movie explanation: There is none. It’s just a blatant plot hole.
Vote now for the biggest plot holes in Oscar-nominated movies!
Oscar-Nominated Movies with Plot Holes You Can’t Unsee