Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. 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 this film we have one of the world's most adorable people, Kristen Bell, with her delightful "The Good Place" co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two women who almost make a multi-million dollar crime seem cute. Before playing Agent Park, he was inTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,Wreck-It Ralph, Bob's Burgers, and many others. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. 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. The film's largely painful humor is informed by the mistaken belief that the main characters' criminal enterprise is inherently quirky. He also doesn't work closely with the FBI. As far as the real women involved, stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste admit that they never actually met or spoke to the actual minds behind the crime to learn what sparked it. [12] Hauser's performance as fraud specialist Ken Miller received praise from critics who praised his onscreen chemistry with Vaughn while noting that the film established him as a comedic actor after his breakthrough role in 2019's Richard Jewell. You can't make this stuff up - and the filmmakers didn't have to. No Offense, But These 2 Big Retailers Aren't The Cheapest Ad MoneyWise. Some of the coupon enthusiasts featured on the TLC show Extreme Couponing routinely purchased coupons from clipping services.In response to the Arizona coupon counterfeiting ring that inspired the Queenpins movie, the CIC's Bud Miller stated, "Coupon buyers expose themselves to the possibility of becoming involved with counterfeits, stolen property, or other criminal activities. But thats just Connie and Jojo. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. 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. In Queenpins, its Ken Miller who pleads with the FBI to get involved, but in the end, he ends up working with Vince Vaughns postal inspector character, with the reasoning being that the crime was technically committed via snail mail. Marilyn Johnson, 54, Robin Ramirez, 40, and Amiko Fountain, 42, were taken into custody, and in a press conference, police said a search warrant served resulted in the seizing of $40 million worth of coupons and $2 million worth of assets from the womens homes, including $240,000 in vehicles, 22 guns, and a 40-foot speedboat. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. 'Queenpins' Review: Suburban Scammers Two cash-strapped neighbors devise a multimillion-dollar coupon swindle in this mildly entertaining comedy. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. David Lake said. 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. Ramirez, too, declined to respond to requests for comment. So will Robin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson be going to see Queenpins this weekend? In addition, the scenes involving the gun sale include short appearances by co-director Aron Gaudet's brother Nick as a barista, as well as actor and director Nick Cassavetes as the leader of the group buying the guns.
Paul Walter Hauser Got AEW References Into 'Queenpins' Film - Fightful Watching "Queenpins" is like eating grocery store birthday cake.
Queenpins has arrived in theaters and on Paramount+, telling the story of the countrys largest counterfeit coupon scam. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? Queenpins tells a comedic story of two down-on-their-luck Phoenix women who discover their path to prosperity by concocting a $40 million counterfeit coupon scheme that all comes crashing down when they get caught. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts.
A trailer released this month shows how a suburban housewife (Bell) and her coupon vlogger friend (Howell-Baptiste) come up with a scheme to sell fake coupons online, earning them millions of dollars while contributing to costly losses for brands like Proctor & Gamble andUnilever. For the most part, yes. The leader, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal control of an enterprise. The Phoenix Police Department conducted undercover operations in which they purchased the counterfeit coupons. These are free-item coupons," Phoenix Police Sgt. The ladies account is frozen due to suspicious activity, so Connie realizes they need to prove their business is legitimate. They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". This film wasn't deep, and at times it stretched credibility, but it was fun and engaging. Ramirez, Fountain and Johnson are now having to live with what they did. Real Stories is an ongoing column about the true stories behind movies and TV shows. He has been commended by the FBI for supporting them in numerous efforts to fight "complex coupon fraud schemes." 'These aren't 50 cent off coupons. Released in the United States on September 10, 2021 by STXfilms, the film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing only $1.2 million against a $20 million production budget. She does not seem to take it too seriously, telling us that "this is a story about little old coupons.". I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. In May 2019, it was announced Kristen Bell and Leslie Jones had joined the cast of the film, with Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly directing from a screenplay they wrote. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Instead, Hauser's character is a loss-prevention officer for a grocery store chain. Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with U.S. postal inspector Simon Kilmurry. It's not a seamless fit. Yes, a bear actually did consumer millions of dollars worth of cocaine.
'Queenpins' Review: Suburban Scammers - The New York Times Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. But thats just Connie and Jojo. Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. Visitors to the Savvy Shopper Site website could buy high-value coupons offering free items like detergent, diapers, pet food and more, for pennies on the dollar. US Postal Inspector Simon Kilmurry (Vince Vaughn) appears to be entirely fictional. Not only does Arizona state law forbid convicted criminals from profiting by selling their story, but writer-directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly have emphasized that their story is an entirely fictional version of the real thing. -Daily Mail. She really likes to watch out the window as we land and it helps calm her down. Neither of them responded to requests for comment about their case, and how or whether they have managed to move on from it.
Whatever Happened to the Real-Life "Queenpins"? This is much more inspired So we dont really know anything about the real players and we kind of didnt want to. Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, playing the lead roles, are as spectacular as ever. We just wanted to create our own characters.. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in the. The FBI has crooks who commit moremanly crimes to track down. The two women in the movie, Connie Kaminski (Kristen Bell) and JoJo Johnson (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), are not directly based on any of the real-life women.Kristen Bell's character's background of being a former Olympic race walker who turns to couponing after having no luck getting pregnant (and spending tens of thousands on in vitro treatments) is fictional, as is Kirby Howell-Baptiste's character's unsuccessful efforts to make it as a vlogger. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. Law-enforcement authorities, manufacturers, and retailers advise against purchasing coupons. On a message board, one fan raved about paying $7 for a mega pack of Pampers, with no max value meaning a shopper could get more than $50 worth of product free. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. They may also expose themselves to additional risk by providing their names, home addresses, and financial information to organized crime rings." "We knew, based on our research on past films, the more we dig into the real lives, it becomes much more serious, much more dramatic," Pullapilly told the, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. They interview people from grocery stores that the ladies frequent, almost all of whom recognize Connie due to her constantly irritating coupon usage, even successfully linking her to the "Savvy Super Saver" website as she uses its slogan while shopping. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. Ame shielded her eyes from the sunlight, "It's just that it's been a while since I've been on duty at daytime.". Jack McBrayerasAgent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy.
Kristen Bell leads a strong cast in 'Queenpins,' in theaters Sept. 10 Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. "You've got yourself an eighteen-karat run of bad luck, kid.". The comedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. Many of the details of the real story have been changed, including the names, but also backstories to make the characters more sympathetic. Summary: Amelia Watson, a senior but loose cannon, problem child detective of City PD, has to prevent a war. She has spent her life chatting about popular media to anyone who would listen, even appearing on conference panels to discuss her favorite (and least favorite) shows and movies. Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski Kristen Bell stars as Connie Kaminski, a suburban housewife who just wants to find a solution for the debt burying her and her husband. Mumolo was an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for the romantic comedy Bridesmaids.
Queenpins - Contemporary Robin Hoods grounded in the real world director of photography Film Editing by Kayla Emter . Thats money in the bank.'. , updated 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. Bud played an instrumental role in taking down the three women who inspired the Queenpins movie.Unlike Bud Miller, Hauser's character doesn't work for the Coupon Information Corporation (a not-for-profit association of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to fighting coupon misredemption and fraud). Notify me of follow-up comments by email. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. We're all looking for a loophole to find our joy and happiness in life." They'd then sell them on eBay and a website, SavvyShopperSite, for a profit. Because they arent exactly hardened criminals, they think that the money theyve made through their shell company has to be laundered, so they bought all these high priced items with the intent to just immediately resell them. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling.
'Queenpins' Review: Coupon Clippers Go Rogue in a Sly Crime Satire The CIC and some of its members were on location in a mobile command unit watching the bust." You Are Reading :Queenpins Cast And Character Guide Where You Know The Actors From. In February of 2013,Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise, though a forgery charge was dropped. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? "We're talking about anywhere from $400 to $600 million in loss," said Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department. While the characters in the 2021 movieQueenpins call out systemic inequality and the downfalls of capitalism, it's unlikely that their real-life counterparts shared these same sentiments. According to KTAR News, a Phoenix radio station, the group focused on manufacturers coupons, which typically offer a free item or significant discount. (67) 6.3 1 h 50 min 2021 X-Ray R. A suburban homemaker and her best friend turn a hobby into a multi-million-dollar counterfeit coupon caper. The comedy Queenpins is inspired by the largest coupon scam in U.S. history. No. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Yes. On the other side we have faceless and barely acknowledged corporations (always a convenient bad guy) and an LPO (loss prevention officer, a fancy title for private security). Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? The Coupon Information Corporation got wind of the scheme, and brought it to the attention of investigators, which is how it eventually landed on the desk of Phoenix Police Sergeant David Lake.