55 Clever Movie Details From The '90s And '00s Millennials Probably Didn't Notice The First Time Around

Yes, there's a Jaden Smith cameo in Will Smith's Men in Black II.

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1. _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets _(2002)

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) before Harry gets sucked into Tom riddles diary, he’s in a candle lit room. When he’s in the diary, everything is in black and white yet, we can still see the candle light flickering on his body from MovieDetails

2. _Forrest Gump _(1994)

In the opening scene of Forrest Gump (1994), his shoes are worn out from running across the country for years, but he wouldn’t get rid of “the best gift you could get in the wide world” from Jenny. But he kept the laces fresh to keep them operable. from MovieDetails

3. _Spirited Away _(2001)

In Spirited Away (2001), the family car is based on the first-generation Audi A4 1.8T, from the mid-1990s. The production team even drove around an Audi A4 1.8T on some jagged roads and recorded the sounds to make the film as accurate as possible. from MovieDetails

4. _The Emperor's New Groove _(2000)

Chicha from The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) is the first pregnant female character to appear in a Disney animated feature film, according to the DVD commentary. She’s also one of the first mother characters in a Disney film not to be killed off or villainized. from MovieDetails

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5. _Mrs. Doubtfire _(1993)

In Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), the poolside bartender is played by an actor credited under the nickname Dr. Toad, but his real name was Robert Todd Williams, and he was Robin Williams’ older brother. A vintner by trade in real-life, this was his only film appearance. from MovieDetails

6. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

In The Life Aquatic, Cate Blanchett's character says that she is trying to get out of the habit of swearing before her baby arrives. She chews gum throughout the movie for a similar reason but it's never explicitly mentioned. She was a smoker. from MovieDetails

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7. _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory _(2005)

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Willy Wonka’s walking stick is filled with tiny pieces of candy. They are allegedly Nerds, which were created by the Willy Wonka Candy Factory in 1983. from MovieDetails

8. _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring _(2001)

In Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), the shot of Proudfoot with his feet up in the air, is a direct homage to the 1978 animated adaptation of the Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi. (Intentional reference, source in comments). from MovieDetails

9. _Scary Movie _(2000)

Rewatching Scary Movie (2000) 🤣 never noticed this before 🤣 from MovieDetails

10. _Elf _(2003)

In Elf (2003) the Gimbel’s manager has a “Wanda” name tag. The filmmakers hired Wanda Sykes for the role but she dropped out at the last minute. When Faizon Love came on for his scenes he chose to wear Wanda’s nametag. from MovieDetails

11. _The Princess and the Frog _(2009)

In The Princess And The Frog (2009) the villains shadow turns this wallpaper to skulls and crossbones in this scene from MovieDetails

12. _Super Troopers _(2001)

In Super Troopers (2001), the couple who Farva (Kevin Heffernan) calls “chicken-fucker” and squawks at during a traffic stop were played by Heffernan’s real-life parents. Their reactions during the scene are genuine as they had no idea what he was going to say prior to it being filmed. from MovieDetails

13. _Alien Resurrection _(1997)

For this scene in Alien Resurrection (1997), Sigourney Weaver insisted on pulling off this basketball shot, and did in fact do it. from MovieDetails

14. _The Matrix Reloaded _(2003)

The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - in The Matrix universe an Agent's suit is slightly green, but as Agent Smith has evolved he now has a black suit from MovieDetails

15. _You've Got Mail _(1998)

At the beginning of "You've Got Mail" Meg Ryan buys flowers from a pregnant-looking florist, later in the movie the florist has an "It's a Girl" sign from MovieDetails

16. _Titanic _(1997)

If you exclude all of the present-day scenes in Titanic (1998), leaving only those taking place in 1912, the film would run for 2 hours and 40 minutes – the exact time it took for the Titanic to sink. Needless to say, James Cameron is a perfectionist. from MovieDetails

Credit: 20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

17. _Spider-Man 2 _(2004)

In Spider-Man 2 (2004) MJ is in a play called The Importance of Being Earnest, a story about a man with major responsibilities who has an “alter ego” that allows him to run away from those responsibilities and do what he wants. This is Peter Parker’s conflict throughout the movie. from MovieDetails

18. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), you can see Stephen and Julie getting back together in the background at Julie's party. from MovieDetails

19. _Lilo & Stitch _(2002)

During the credits to "Lilo & Stitch" (2002), Agent Bubbles is shown serving a turkey. This is a reference to Norman Rockwell's painting "Freedom From Want" (1941-43) from MovieDetails

Credit: Alamy

20. _Mean Girls _(2004)

In Mean Girls (2004), Tim Meadows, who plays Principal Duvall, broke his wrist a week before filming started and had to wear a cast. This was written into the movie as Principal Duvall suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. from MovieDetails

21. _Pulp Fiction _(1994)

In Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), Mia ODs on Vincent’s heroin stash after she mistakes it for cocaine because cocaine is given in a baggie and heroin is in a balloon. Lance warns Vincent of this earlier in the film “I’m outta balloons. Is a baggie alright?” from MovieDetails

22. _GoodFellas _(1990)

In Goodfellas (1990), Robert De Niro didn’t like how fake money felt in his hand and insisted using real money. So the prop master withdrew several thousand dollars of his own money to use. At the end of each take, no one was allowed to leave the set until all the money was returned & counted. from MovieDetails

23. _The Big Lebowski _(1998)

In The Big Lebowski (1998), Jesus Quintana is wearing rings from the American Bowling Congress that certify his ability to roll a perfect 300 game, a 299 game and an incredibly difficult 800 series. Those rings tell you that creep can roll. from MovieDetails

24. _The Incredibles _(2004)

In The Incredibles (2004), when Helen arrives to rescue Bob and punches Mirage, you can see that Helen attempted to punch Bob too, but he dodges it. from MovieDetails

25. _The Nutty Professor _(1996)

Eddie Murphy’s character in The Nutty Professor (1996) and in Shrek (2001) both claim to be the stair master. from MovieDetails

26. _A Bug's Life _(1998)

In A Bug's Life (1999), the queen is seen to have a pet named "Aphie." In real life, this little bug is an aphid (also known as aphids) and they live in harmony with the ants, but not as pets, but as "livestock". from MovieDetails

27. _Toy Story 2 _(1999)

The phrase "There's a snake in my boot!" that Woody from 'Toy Story' (1995) says is a reference to a common hallucination suffered by alcoholics in the 19th century. from MovieDetails

28. _Billy Madison _(1995)

In Billy Madison (1995), when Danny (Steve Buscemi) crosses off Billy’s name off of his “people to kill” list, the remaining names on the list are the producer of the movie and various other production crew members. from MovieDetails

29. _500 Days of Summer _(2009)

In "500 Days Of Summer" (2009), when asked who is going to sing karaoke next, Summer nominates Tom by saying "I nominate young Werther here!" This is a reference to the German poet Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther", which is about a doomed romantic relationship. from MovieDetails

30. _Hook _(1991)

In Hook (1991), the flying couple on the bridge is actually George Lucas and Carrie Fisher. Carrie even worked on the movie's script. from MovieDetails

31. _Mulan _(1998)

In Mulan there is no songs sung by the characters after "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is cut off when they find the aftermath of the burned village and lost battle. This is potentially due to them facing the reality of war. from MovieDetails

32. _Men in Black II _(2002)

In Men in Black 2 (2002), Trey Smith and Jaden Smith appear in the chase scene. from MovieDetails

33. _Batman Returns _(1992)

In Batman Returns (1992) the shadow of Selina Kyle's glasses (literally) foreshadows her transformation into Catwoman. from MovieDetails

Credit: Warner Bros / Alamy

34. _The Lion King 1½ _(2004)

In The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004), you can see a hidden mickey in the stars in the top right. from MovieDetails

35. _Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit _(1993)

In Sister Act 2, Rita Watson(Lauren Hill) has practiced her mom’s name on several scrap pieces of paper before forging her mom’s signature. from MovieDetails

36. _Boyz n the Hood _(1991)

"Boyz n the Hood" (1991) - man wearing Eazy-E shirt gets beatdown by Ice Cube (ex NWA bandmate-turned-rival) from MovieDetails

37. _The Sandlot _(1993)

In The Sandlot (1993), the actor who plays Benny Rodriguez as an adult is Pablo Vitar, the IRL big brother of young Benny's actor, Mike Vitar. from MovieDetails

38. _American Psycho _(2000)

In the Director's Commentary for American Psycho (1999) according to director Mary Harron, during the business card scene, Christian Bale would break into sweat ON CUE for EVERY TAKE from MovieDetails

39. _Die Another Day _(2002)

In Die Another Day (2002), Bond visits the "Rubyeon Royale" Hotel. This a meta reference for the franchise; "Ruby" for the 40th anniversary of the series, EON is the name of the company that produces the movies, and Royale for Casino Royale, the first Bond book. from MovieDetails

40. _The Dark Knight Rises _(2012)

In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), comedian Thomas Lennon plays a doctor. He also played a doctor in Memento (2000), another Christopher Nolan movie. Nolan specifically offered him the role in Rises. Lennon thinks both characters are the same person. from MovieDetails

41. _Malcolm X _(1992)

In Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington, the first child that stands up and says I’m Malcolm X is played by John David Washington, Denzel’s son and star of Tenet. https://www.capitalxtra.com/features/facts/john-david-washington/malcolm-x/ from MovieDetails

42. _Hercules _(1997)

In Hercules (1997), the cape attached to Hercules’ armor is actually the shawl that is given to him by his adoptive mother. from MovieDetails

43. _Joe Dirt _(2001)

In Joe Dirt (2001), the oil company that Joe works for is called Scotch Oil. That is also the name of the oil company that Chris Farley’s dad owned in Madison WI (and where Chris worked before he became a comedian) - a small tribute by Spade to his late friend. from MovieDetails

44. _Austin Powers in Goldmember _(2002)

In Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), the flashback scene featuring a younger Nigel Powers is actually footage from the early Michael Caine movie Hurry Sundown (1967). from MovieDetails

45. _Friday _(1995)

In Friday, Craig’s girlfriend calls him to accuse him of cheating on her with a girl at a concert, she has a man laying in her bed while she’s doing this. from MovieDetails

46. _Erin Brockovich _(2000)

In Erin Brockovich (2000), Erin, played by Julia Roberts, is ordering food at a restaurant. She’s being waited on by Julia, played by Erin Brockovich. from MovieDetails

47. _Catch Me If You Can _(2002)

In Catch Me If You Can (2002), you can see the words "Steven and Tom's 4th project" written on a blackboard. This is a reference to director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. from MovieDetails

48. _The Polar Express _(2004)

In The Polar Express (2004), a protest sign says "Say yes to Lone Pine Mall construction". A sneaky reference to Back to the Future (1985). Both movies were directed by Robert Zemeckis. from MovieDetails

49. _The Ring _(2002)

In The Ring (2002) the tree with fiery red leaves is a Japanese maple. The fruit that this tree produces is called a samara. The name of the movie’s antagonist is Samara Morgan. from MovieDetails

50. _Hocus Pocus _(1993)

In Hocus Pocus (1993), Max Dennison’s tie dye shirt features the colors of the Sanderson Sister’s outfits from MovieDetails

51. _Shrek the Third _(2007)

In Shrek the third (2007), little red riding hood is seen in the poisoned apple, having sided with the villains. This only makes sense, as the big bad wolf has sided with Shrek. from MovieDetails

52. _Mystery Men _(1999)

Mystery Men [1999] - The Not So Goodie Mob, is played by "The Goodie Mob". One of the members is Ceelo Green. from MovieDetails

53. _Zoolander _(2001)

one of the funniest lines in "Zoolander" (2001) was ad-libbed. JP Prewitt (David Duchovny) spends a full minute explaining why male models are being used for evil. Stiller forgot his next line, so he repeated: "But why male models?" Duchovny rolled with it: "Are you serious? I just told you that!" from MovieDetails

54. _Ratatouille _(2007)

In Ratatouille (2007), Skinner was named after behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner, famous for his experiments with rats. from MovieDetails

55. And _How the Grinch Stole Christmas _(2000)

My husband noticed that in "The Grinch" Martha May Whovier is wearing jewels in her hair salvaged from the tree topper Young Grinch made for her. from MovieDetails

You can check out more brilliant movie details from r/MovieDetails here.

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