When Connie discovers that a complaint letter about stale cereal earned her a coupon for a free box, it's a short road to finding a $2 an hour employee at the Mexico coupon printing plant (moved from the US to save money) who is willing to send them extras. Written and directed byAron GaudetandGita Pullapilly, Queenpins is about two housewives who created a $40 million coupon scam. Jack McBrayerasAgent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy. The site's name was inspired by the legit coupon magazine Savvy Shopper, which is in no way related. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Shecan next be seen in the indie film Silent Night and later inThe Sandman TV series. However, he doesn't appear to have inspired Vaughn's Kilmurry. Lets break it down. While it might seem outrageous and is played for laughs in the movie, in July 2012, a SWAT team really did raid the Phoenix residences of the three women who played a part in the counterfeit coupon operation. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). According to Time magazine, they went undercover and purchased coupons as part of their effort to locate the source.
Queenpins - Chapter 1 - Elias_Pedro - Archive of Our Own But court records indicate that she has not quite been able to put this case behind her. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Thecomedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. (edited by) Casting By Ben Harris Allison Jones Production Design by Jennifer Klide Art Direction by Adri Siriwatt Costume Design by Julie Carnahan Makeup Department Production Management Mike Upton . So even though the events of nearly a decade ago seem like old news to the rest of us, its something the culprits continue to live with. She is also known for her appearances in Killing Eve and Cruella. Greg Garcia, a cashier at her local A&G Family Marts store, explains to her that companies habitually respond to complaint letters by sending coupons for free items. In reality, thewomen seemed to have a better grasp of how to stay under the radar than the movie portrays, which enabled them to avoid police detection for so long. Ramirez, Fountain and Johnson are now having to live with what they did. The bare-bones blueprint for the story is accurate; a small group of women make millions selling counterfeit coupons. Preferred customers could get even better deals on better coupons. The opening scenes show Bell's character getting arrested before a flashback to explain what happened. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? The other queenpin is Connie's neighbor and close friend JoJo (Howell-Baptiste), who was a victim of identity theft that ruined her credit and her ability to apply for jobs. No one who purchased coupons faced legal repercussions, but one cant help but think that they are the real losers here. Dejected and frustrated suburban housewife Connie Kaminski (ne Stevens), a three-time gold-medal-winning former Olympic racewalker, has followed the conventional life path set for her by society ever since she was young. Queenpins Writers Balance Comedic Tone with Real-Life Drama in Coupon Caper By: Shanee Edwards Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson and Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski in QUEENPINS. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam.A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam.A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. -TIME, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media. It might have been more interesting to have lead police officer on the case a woman, as it was in the actual arrest. She was most likely added to the script for comedic reasons in order to frame Connie and JoJo as being in over their heads and desperately needing outside help. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha makes her feature film debut in the Queenpins movie.
Queenpins | Official Trailer [HD] | In Theaters September 10 - YouTube Except that these ladies sold unauthorized or forged coupons for a fraction of the face value to consumers who used them to get lots and lots of stuff without paying for it. David Lake, who was in charge of the coupon investigation at the Phoenix Police Department, "The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type stuff." On the real Queenpins website, SavvyShopperSite.com, they sold free-product coupons, with the caveat that you must spend at least $50 on coupons per order. But during Proctor & Gamble'sroutine audits ofthird-party coupon processors, the discovered fakes in circulation and hired private investigators to do some more digging. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? Paul Walter Hauseras Ken Miller -Paul Walter Hauser plays Loss Prevention Officer Ken Miller, whoserather unexciting job takes a turn when he discovers the fake coupon scheme. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. But thats just Connie and Jojo. Review: Scamming Audiences with Sophomoric Humor and Dubious Politics.
Queenpins (2021) - IMDb A real disc jockey inspired Robin Williams classic character. Queenpins is a 2021 American comedy film written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. The acting was solid, though the relatively unknown Paul Walter Hauser stole the movie. "You are spending money we don't have," her husband says, looking at what was once supposed to be a nursery, now converted into what looks like a grocery warehouse. [4] In September 2020, Kirby Howell-Baptiste joined the cast of the film, replacing Jones, with Ben Stiller joining as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner, with STX Entertainment set to distribute. The site's critics consensus reads: "Lowbrow humor and inconsistent storytelling undercut Queenpins' talented cast, making this coupon-clipping comedy a disappointingly poor bargain. Ramirez, then 40, Fountain, then 42, and Johnson, then 54, were arrested andcharged with counterfeiting, forgery, money laundering, operating an illegal enterprise, and other crimes. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. Ill go out on a limb here and predict that their once noble intentions go off the rails.
The True Story Behind the Movie Queenpins - Film School Rejects Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. You know what, I bet if a better actor were playing Ken Miller, thered probably be a little fine tooth combing involved with the world of loss prevention. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. When we use coupons, we feel like we're getting away with something, like we're smart and special. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. As the Time article notes, couponing became popular not only in the wake of reality television shows like TLCs Extreme Couponing but also due to the economic reality in the wake of the Great Recession. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste star in this based-on-a-true-story film about a pair of women whose coupon-counterfeiting operation turned into more than they bargained for.
'Queenpins': Here's the Real Story Behind Kristen Bell's Crime Comedy He also doesn't work closely with the FBI. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. Ame hissed, "Getting partnered with someone like me. They were also ordered to pay Proctor & Gamble more than $1.2 million. After a shootout breaks out at a jazz club in the heart of town over a 'transaction' gone wrong, the Shrimps of Ocean Street and the Deadbeats of Industrial Way prepare to fight. Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. This happened after various companies that had been impacted by the bogus coupons hired private investigators to uncover the origins of the coupons. Illegal couponing doesn't seem like ahigh-levelcrime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. When we're with Connie and JoJo, the tone of "Queenpins" is upbeat and sit-com-y, with Dolly Parton on the soundtrack telling us everything is going to be all right. Instead, he becomes highly frustrated when the FBI blows off his concerns. Ramirezs case was back before a judge as recently as July, when her probation officer reported she was falling behind on her share of the nearly $1.3 million in restitution payments she and her cohorts were ordered to pay.
Kristen Bell Runs A Real-Life Coupon Scam In 'Queenpins' Trailer - UPROXX Ken is the kind of guy who desperately wants to present himself as a stoic, but when alone, screams in rage. The ladies account is frozen due to suspicious activity, so Connie realizes they need to prove their business is legitimate. Their unbelievable success eventually catches the attention of law enforcement. Unilever also claimed losses, pointing to five particular coupons that had been founded in Ramirezs home, though a judge ruled that they couldn't prove that the three women were responsible for selling them. Ramirez, too, declined to respond to requests for comment. Here's the cast and character guide for Queenpins, along with comparisons to some of the characters' counterparts in real life. The postal inspector tells Connie it's 1 year for every $100,000 earned fraudulently and that she's looking at 40 years. I'd call it a buddy film on a couple of levels: The main characters, Connie and Jo, and then the sub-characters, Simon and Ken. Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with U.S. postal inspector Simon Kilmurry. 'Sometimes I would come out with three carts of groceries.'. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Place co-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. "[Ringleader Robin Ramirez] would bring in these coupons from overseas in large quantities, quantities we never could imagine and she would sell them on her website for about 50 percent of face value," said Sgt. This film wasn't deep, and at times it stretched credibility, but it was fun and engaging. The character mainly functions to forward the plot and as the other half of the "buddy-cop" duo with Ken Miller (Paul Walter Hauser). Slapstick . After tracing the origins of the ring to Phoenix, the FBI then teamed up with local law enforcement to bust the group. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. They were charged with counterfeiting, forgery, operating an illegal enterprise, money laundering, and other violations.
"These aren't 50-cent-off coupons. Details of the true story at the heart of Queenpinswere first revealed in July 2012.
The REAL story behind Kristen Bell's upcoming movie Queenpins she says. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. The Arizona coupon ring's leader, Robin Ramirez, rented an aircraft hangar to store her cars, 40-foot speedboat, luxury RV, and various off-road toys. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. Missing Pittsburgh street preacher known as 'The Sparrow' who vanished 30 YEARS ago is found ALIVE and living in 'It's a vindication of what I've been through': Georgia Harrison tells of her 'relief' as shamed reality star ex Two Insulate Britain protesters are jailed for contempt of court after they defied a judge's orders not to refer Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!'
'Queenpins' Review: Coupon Clippers Go Rogue in a Sly Crime Satire They'd then sell them on eBay and a website, SavvyShopperSite, for a profit.
Is Queenpins on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, or Prime? Users had to be 'invited' to join the site, and fans raved about the impossibly good deals, like a coupon for a free pizza worth $7 that would cost shoppers just $1. Yes, like the grocery store coupons that come with the Sunday paper. People who purchased coupons on the site could use them for an item and even get cash back if the value of the coupon exceeded the item's price.