Goofs

Younger Sammy Fabelman's eyes are blue, while the older Sammy Fablelman's eyes are brown.

Young Sam and his friends go to the local movie house to see The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Earlier, Sam is a six-year-old who goes with his parents to see The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). So Sam has to be at least 16 for Liberty Valance to be in theaters. And he clearly isn't.

When Sammy's dad hands him the tea, it is the only thing on the table as Sammy dips his head down and drinks it. When Sammy raises his head, his tie is now on the table next to the tea.

The edited version of the Camping Trip movie that Sam shows to his family includes a scene of Mitzi dancing with a partially-burned stick. In the original "live" scene, Mitzi is never shown holding a stick.

While the Fablemans are driving in Arizona, an armadillo is shown as roadkill. The armadillo's range doesn't extend west much past the Texas/New Mexico border.

Sammy's 8mm footage of Mitzi and Bennie appears in a widescreen aspect ratio (roughly 1.85:1) on the Moviola editing screen. 8mm has an aspect ratio of roughly 4:3 and would appear as such on an 8mm editing device.

The order of the Hanukkah candles seem to be lit incorrectly, as they should be lit from right to left; in the film they start from the left and move to the right as the days progress.

However, since the menorah is facing the window it's likely the candles are for outside observation and, hence, start appropriately from the right if viewed from the street.

In 1964, Sam mentions that his college roommate voted Republican, but assuming that the roommate was under 21, he couldn't have voted until the law was changed in 1971.

There is no reason to assume the roommate was not 21; dorm roommate assignments can match first-year students with older students. It's possible that Sam's roommate was a Junior or Senior.

Sammy is told to wait for the great director, John Ford, to return from "lunch". After the encounter, Sammy goes outside, and the sun is low in the sky and much nearer to the golden hour than lunchtime.

Sometimes, movie executives would take extended "lunches" and not return until much later than one might expect.

During prom, Monica, a soon-to-be graduate as part of the class of 1964, reveals that she plans to attend Texas A&M. It was not until 1965, however, that women (other than relatives of professors) were allowed entry into the previously all-male, all-military university.

The drinking fountain at Sammy's high school is a modern push-button type that didn't exist until the 1990s. The 1960s fountain would have had a cross knob that turned to open the valve.

Sammy is seen editing clips of Super 8 film instead of the Standard 8mm film that would have been the format used in his camera and editor, while at other times handles or loads Standard 8mm film into his projector. Super 8 film, although introduced in 1965, used a cartridge system that would not have been used in Sammy's camera of that period, nor could it be edited along with Standard 8mm film.

When the train setup is first shown, there are several televisions shown in the background. This was 1952, but most of the sets shown are much later, including the most iconic 1950s TV, the Philco Predicta, which was introduced in 1958.

The beginning of the movie indicates it is 1952, but then shows the family driving a 1955 Plymouth.