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10th December 2023
12:16pm GMT
Viewers have spotted a plot hole in Netflix's Leave the World Behind.
The disaster film is based on the acclaimed 2020 apocalyptic novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam and features an ace ensemble cast of Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la.
The plot synopsis reads: “Amanda (Roberts) and her husband Clay (Hawke) rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs.
“The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.”
Whilst the movie has so far received largely positive reviews, some eagle-eyed viewers have pointed out an inconsistency in its plot.
Roberts' character, Amanda, is an advertising executive from New York who wants a break from modern life, hence why she organises the trip to Long Island with her family.
One of the main themes of Leave the World Behind is our reliance on technology and gadgets, and Rose in particular is left fuming when she discovers their accommodation has no internet connection, meaning she can't finish watch the Friends finale.
As the world around them collapses into Armageddon and cities are bombed, the family have to find a way to survive.
Eventually they seek refuge in a bunker in a random house and Rose finds a DVD of the last series of Friends, meaning she can watch the finale.
But it's this character's obsession with Friends that actually causes a bit of a problem in the film's story.
Julia Roberts had a memorable cameo in the hit series when she starred as Chandler's love interest and childhood friend Susie Moss in 1996 episode, The One After The Super Bowl Part 2.
The episode is best remembered for her convincing Chandler to wear panties to dinner and then strip down to his lingerie in a toilet cubicle.
Susie then steals his clothes and leaves, as revenge for him lifting up her skirt during a school play.
So viewers of Leave the World Behind couldn't help but wonder how Friends fanatic Rose didn't notice her mother's role in the show.
One wrote on social media: "The kid watching Friends on her tablet in Leave the World Behind is going to have her mind blown when Julia Roberts shows up."
Another penned: "It’s absolutely sending me that the daughter character of Julia Roberts’ in #LeaveTheWorldBehind is *obsessed* with FRIENDS, yet doesn’t recognize it’s Julia Roberts in the series (playing Chandler’s love interest). Maybe they’re following Ocean’s Twelve rules."
A third added: "They stressed the point that she was obsessed with the show, so she must have noticed."
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