In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. 17:42 EST 23 Jul 2021. Kiara frowned, watching the usually stoic Ame toss and turn in the driver's seat. That's the psychological illogic of coupons, referred to in the movie as the "coupon high." 'Its like Robin Hood,' Howell-Baptiste's character says in the trailer, summing up the coupon fraud plan. Bell plays former Olympian and bored. Directed and written by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, the movie stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Vince Vaughn, Paul Walter Hauser, and Bebe Rexha. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. The filmmakers, Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, chose not to interview the real Queenpins for the movie. The site's critics consensus reads: "Lowbrow humor and inconsistent storytelling undercut Queenpins' talented cast, making this coupon-clipping comedy a disappointingly poor bargain. Procter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. We just wanted to create our own characters.. Postal Inspector lead the investigation into their activities, encountering multiple humorous setbacks along the way. [13], Last edited on 16 February 2023, at 04:25, "STXfilms' Kristen Bell Coupon Clipping Scam Comedy 'Queenpins' Sells US For $20M+ To Paramount+ & Showtime", "Leslie Jones-Kristen Bell Coupon Caper 'Queenpins' Lands With Rocket Science Cannes", "Vince Vaughn & Paul Walter Hauser Join Comedy 'Queenpins' With Leslie Jones & Kristen Bell", "Kristen Bell & Kirby Howell-Baptiste Coupon Scam Comedy 'Queenpins' Snapped Up By STX Toronto", "Bebe Rexha Joins Kristen Bell in Comedy 'Queenpins', "Dayo Okeniyi, Joel McHale, Nick Cassavetes, Michael Masini, Eduardo Franco, Paul Rust And 3 More Join 'Queenpins'; Jack McBrayer And Annie Mumolo To Cameo", "And so it begins #Queenpins", "STX Dates 'Queenpins', 'National Champions', 'Violence Of Action' & Untitled Guy Ritchie Movie For 2021 & Beyond", "Paul Walter Hauser Quietly Steals Delightful Crime Comedy 'Queenpins', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queenpins&oldid=1139643182, This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 04:25. The coupons are being sent through the mail and the FBI does not take it seriouslybecause it's coupons. He can next be seen in the movie Delia's Gone. 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 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. But nobody really thought it was a big deal, because, you know, its coupons.. The ladies account is frozen due to suspicious activity, so Connie realizes they need to prove their business is legitimate. 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. Preferred customers could get even better deals on better coupons. The character mainly functions to forward the plot and as the other half of the "buddy-cop" duo with Ken Miller (Paul Walter Hauser). Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, playing the lead roles, are as spectacular as ever. Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise. JoJo combines two people in real life:Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson. Follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter. Fountain and Johnson both still live and work in the Phoenix area, in professions that have nothing to do with coupons. It appeared the women were making so much money, they werent even sure how to spend it all. Though most of their fraudulent earnings have been confiscated, the pair have hundreds of thousands of dollars from their illegal activities stashed away, and JoJo starts a relationship with Earl and relocates to Montenegro, a non-extradition country, where the pair can immediately restart the scam upon Connie's release. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. Goodbye coupons, hello high prices. They joined forces with several other affected companies and hired private investigators to track the source of the fraudulent coupons. Produced by Music by Siddhartha Khosla . For the most part, yes. A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. Like a coupon high, the fun of this movie does not last. Vaughn is also currently appearing in the series Curb Your Enthusiasm. After complaining about cereal gone stale, the pair receives dozens of freebies, inspiring them to hatch an illegal coupon club scheme. Johnson helped package and ship the coupons to customers, and Fountain placed hologram stickers on some of them to make them look more legitimate. Two women create a $40 million coupon scam. Heres how the real Queenpins counterfeit coupon ring worked: shoppers would purchase the coupons on websites like eBay and/or be invited or referred to the rings personal website, savvyshoppersite.com. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com, Dax Shepard wishes wife Kristen Bell a happy 41st birthday: 'Here's wishing you another 100 years in the saddle', Conwoman, 60, accused of posing as gem expert to swap diamonds worth 4.2m for pebbles was caught on CCTV outside Mayfair jeweller Boodles the day before heist, court hears. Ramirez, the ringleader, was the only one sentenced to prison time two years while her counterparts got probation. In February of 2013,Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise, though a forgery charge was dropped. Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. Bell plays Connie, whose life is smaller and sadder than she expected, following her early success as a gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete (but in a low-profile event, race-walking). Hauser previouslyworked with Howell-Baptiste in Cruella and also appeared in I, Tonya. A reality television series about this trend had an episode on the Arizona coupon case. They were also ordered to pay Proctor & Gamble more than $1.2 million. But Aron [Gaudet]and Gita [Pullapilly], as storytellers our writer and directors have added so many specific elements of storytelling to this about what Connies career was, what Jojos career was, their circumstances in life in order to create a story that you would root for, and then it sort of goes into the nonfiction aspect that it sort of wasnt maybe as necessary to take on a ton of the real life characteristics of the women.. 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. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. A look at what really happened with the characters of Andrew Dominiks 2007 Western epic. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. These are free item coupons,' Police Sgt. Their script is so nuanced and the words are chosen so perfectly. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life "Queenpins"? 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 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. None of the characters are based on the real individuals involved, Gaudet told Coupons in the News. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Placeco-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. 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. No. The bare-bones blueprint for the story is accurate; a small group of women make millions selling counterfeit coupons. 'Queenpins': Here's the Real Story Behind Kristen Bell's Crime Comedy Carly Stern For Dailymail.com 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. Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. Talk about extreme couponing! They contact the hacker who stole JoJos identity, Tempe Tina, and are taken to her secret location, where she instructs the pair on how to conceal their operation and secure their money, suggesting they use JoJos cosmetics brand Back 2 Black to disguise their coupon business. She spends her free time drinking coffee and trying to resist the urge to buy any new books before reading the many she already owns. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. From writer-directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, the film stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Ba. Connie initially comes up with the couponing scheme, eventuallyteaming up with her friend to help her pull off the biggest coupon scam in U.S. history. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. 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. 'Queenpins' Review: How to Scam Audiences with Sophomoric Humor "I'm saving money!" Queenpins - Chapter 1 - Elias_Pedro - Archive of Our Own Credit: Courtesy STX Films "They're also some of the best writers I've ever worked with. FREE FIRE TOP 3 GAME REAL CHARACTER para SAMSUNG A3,A5,A6 A7,J2,J5,J7 SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Queenpins Trailer: Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste Are the Robin Hood of Coupons (Video), Netflixs The Sandman TV Series Casts Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death. Capitalism always knows how to win. All three women were arrested and charged with forgery, fraud and counterfeiting. If you watch the movie 'Queenpins,' you will see, what I believe, is the first film in Hollywood to feature AEW in the film." Furthermore, Paul Walter Hauser reveals that he has actually had minimal wrestling training with several names from The Nightmare Factory including Anthony Ogogo, Preston Vance, and even WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas . 'They're buying bunches, and they're redeeming them in bunches.'. Queenpins (2021) - IMDb The CIC and some of its members were on location in a mobile command unit watching the bust." I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. They encounter married employees Alejandro and Rosa Diaz, who agree to send them the unused coupons. This installment focuses on the true story behind the crime comedy Queenpins. Now, with their story back in the spotlight, theres no escaping it, even nearly ten years later. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. How Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Real-Life Friendship Led 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. Illegal couponing doesn't seem like ahigh-levelcrime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. She has also worked on soundtracks for movies like Abominable and, most recently, He's All That. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. 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. 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. Dayo OkeniyiasEarl - Okeniyi plays Earl, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which results in a hilarious interrogation scene with Ken and Simon. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). However, Ken Miller, a hapless loss prevention officer for the A&G Family Marts stores in the Southwestern United States, learns about the coupons and the losses several companies are taking, and pressures his superiors before ultimately deciding to handle the case himself. Judge Daniel Martin sentenced her to 24 months, as well as seven years probation. "We're Robin Hood," the queenpins reassure themselves. The True Story Behind the Movie Queenpins - Film School Rejects 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. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. [6] In December 2020, Dayo Okeniyi, Joel McHale, Nick Cassavetes, Michael Masini, Paul Rust, Eduardo Franco, Marc Evan Jackson, Lidia Porto, Greta Oglesby, Jack McBrayer and Annie Mumolo joined the cast of the film. The acting was solid, though the relatively unknown Paul Walter Hauser stole the movie. "[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. The film's largely painful humor is informed by the mistaken belief that the main characters' criminal enterprise is inherently quirky. Upon realizing that they could get a coupon for a free item sent to them just by complaining to the manufacturer, they come up with a plan to smuggle and steal cases of those coupons, to then sell to people. 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. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. Shecan next be seen in the indie film Silent Night and later inThe Sandman TV series. And why Bell and co-star Paul Walter Houser didnt talk to the real people behind the characters they play. Thats why they say Robin Hood, thats why they say the fat cats on Wall Street deserve it, thats why they say these corporations are evil. Not because they believe any of that, but so they dont feel guilty about their own actions. His message to coupon wrongdoers is, yes, you got a good deal. They also seized more than $2 million in other assets, including 22 guns, cash, 21 vehicles, and a speed boat. Thecomedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. (music by) Cinematography by Andrew Wehde . As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. David Lake said. The scheme came crashing down after forty businesses, including major companies like Proctor & Gamble, Hershey, and PepsiCo, filed fraud complaints. Rare $300 sign-up bonus card hits market Ad The Ascent. The filmmakers are not trying to hurt anybody, or glorify the crime, theyre just trying to make a funny story. But, he cautioned, we cant say that it doesnt matter that a person is only selling coupons when we look at the amount of economic damage that does., Counterfeiters like the three Phoenix women, and the many customers who bought coupons from them, are fully aware that what theyre doing is wrong, Lake believes. Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. ', 'These people aren't buying a few coupons from this site,' Officer James Holmes added. Rexha's character helps Connie and JoJo evade the authorities, mainly by strengthening their internet security. Queenpins movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert The real-life Queenpins thought that the similar name would make their scheme appear more legitimate. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. The ring used a series of twelve different bank accounts to house their money. Their unbelievable success eventually catches the attention of law enforcement. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. And they get a monthly reminder every time they make their latest restitution payment. After gathering sufficient evidence, Simon and Ken finally get agents to arrest the pair. Lets break it down. 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. After tracing the origins of the ring to Phoenix, the FBI then teamed up with local law enforcement to bust the group. Queenpins' cast of characters also includes familiar faces like Bebe Rexha, Vince Vaughn, and Joel McHale in supporting roles. The other two women pleaded guilty to a single charge of counterfeiting. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. Summary: Amelia Watson, a senior but loose cannon, problem child detective of City PD, has to prevent a war.