This installment focuses on the true story behind the crime comedy Queenpins. However, everything that's built onto this premise in the movie is almost entirely fictional. 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. But during Proctor & Gamble'sroutine audits ofthird-party coupon processors, the discovered fakes in circulation and hired private investigators to do some more digging. MSN Article It is also revealed that Connie, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to conceive following her miscarriage, is finally pregnant through in vitro fertilization. 'Queenpins': Here's the Real Story Behind Kristen Bell - TheWrap They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". 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. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. The group would have fake coupons made oversees, including reproductions of legitimate coupons and made-up ones with steep savings. Bud is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and an industry veteran. We just wanted to create our own characters.. Real Stories is an ongoing column about the true stories behind movies and TV shows. Queenpinshits theaters on September 10th and will be available to stream via Paramount+ on September 30th. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. 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. 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." Yes. For diapers and toothpaste. Queenpins: Dirigido por Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly. [10], On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 62 reviews with an average rating of 5.40/10. 17:42 EST 23 Jul 2021. Mugshots of the real women behind Queenpins are displayed below. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. 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. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The film revolves around an ordinary suburban housewife's desire to forge her own path, which ultimately leads her to the world of scams. Produced by Music by Siddhartha Khosla . [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. One account had more than $2 million dollars. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. Perhaps the most telling sign that things weren't on the up-and-up was the fact that the site advised, "Please do not share this information with people that you don't actually know. [3] In July 2020, it was announced Paul Walter Hauser and Vince Vaughn had joined the cast of the film. 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. [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. Once there, buyers would have access to an array of high-dollar coupons. Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. Now that theyve done their time and are working to pay off their debt, the women appear to be trying to put the incident behind them. The last 20 minutes lose sight of whatever point they are trying to make beyond the fun of seeing people get away with breaking the rules. Afterwards, the duo begins their own website and small business "Savvy Super Saver", which helps them sell numerous coupons and generate profit. Queenpins is Rexha's first major acting role. A look at the counterculture movement that became the religious right. The amount covered all of P&G's losses, for the fake coupons as well as extra manpower needed to deal with the issue. Here . 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. 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. Is Queenpins on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, or Prime? 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. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. Queenpins (2021) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb The duo bond on their mission, with Simon sympathizing with Ken's unwavering devotion. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. The trailer for Queenpinsincludes audio of Bell and Howell-Baptistes characters calling out systemic inequality and likening themselves to Robin Hood. You could only place an order if you had a referral from a current customer, and you had to pay for your order with a Green Dot Moneypak (prepaid debit card). We dont want people to think its funny. 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. 'Queenpins' Review: Suburban Scammers - The New York Times The women guaranteed a one-hundred-percent return rate if a store rejected one of their coupons. But court records indicate that she has not quite been able to put this case behind her. She portrays a fictional computer hacker named Tempe Tina, who helps the two main characters with their coupon scam. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. 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. Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with U.S. postal inspector Simon Kilmurry. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. 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. Talk about extreme couponing! And it does seem like Queenpinswill take a comedic look at the inequality underpinning the counterfeit coupon market. Had their deals been a little worse, maybe the women would have never gotten caught. They included coupons for anything from Hershey bars to dog food to diapers. "These aren't 50-cent-off coupons. Queenpins is a 2021 American comedy film written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. Procter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. Aron and I were immediately drawn to the story and had to understand it more, Pullapilly said. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. Shedisplays considerable comedy chopsin films like Bad Momsand is also well-known for her role as Anna inDisney's Frozen franchise. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. She suggestsmaking fake identities and multiple accounts to store their earnings. Her next acting roleisfor the movie Confess, Fletch. "This is to American companies who produced American products and hire American citizens" (DSA). 'Queenpins': Here's the Real Story Behind Kristen Bell's Crime Comedy They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. she says. But can you live with what you did?. After a particularly frustrating day, Connie writes a complaint letter to General Mills about the Wheaties she ate being stale, and soon, she receives a coupon for a free box of cereal. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. But nobody really thought it was a big deal, because, you know, its coupons.. Authorities also seized twenty-two assault weapons and twenty-one vehicles, including a forty-foot boat, in the raid. Bud Miller is thought to have loosely inspired Paul Walter Hauser's character in the movie, Ken Miller. 'Queenpins' Review: Suburban Scammers Two cash-strapped neighbors devise a multimillion-dollar coupon swindle in this mildly entertaining comedy. Instead we have LPOKen Miller (Paul Walter Hauser), a dedicated but comically awkward stickler for the rules, who is eventuallyjoined by an investigator from the USPS (Vince Vaughn, nailing just the right mix of exhausted irritation and integrity). She has also worked on soundtracks for movies like Abominable and, most recently, He's All That. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Coupons in the News features daily news stories and information about coupons, grocery shopping and saving money. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. Previously, she worked as a singer and songwriter, penning hitslike Eminem and Rihanna's "The Monster" and collaborating with bands such as Florida Georgia Line. While it's hard to know how many customers knew they might be engaging in criminal activity, there were a few red flags that should have at least made them suspicious. Autumn has a Master of Arts in English from Northern Michigan University, where she also taught superhero-themed composition courses. 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. She lives with her mother and is trying to be an entrepreneur with a series of YouTube videos featuring tips on saving. 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. McHaleis perhaps best known for his role inCommunity, and will next be starring in the series Black Box. His character represents the law enforcementin charge of tracking down the women responsible. 'Queenpins' Plot Summary 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). But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. 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. Autumn Cejer is a Movie/TV Features Writer for Screen Rant. Yes, like the grocery store coupons that come with the Sunday paper. Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. Being clever with coupons makes her feel like she is making a financial contribution. Related:Worth Cast & Character Guide: What The Real People Look Like. Ame hissed, "Getting partnered with someone like me. 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. Queenpinsdebuted in theaters on September 10, 2021. That includes the details about the women and the two men chasing after them. One local law enforcement official at the time told the news: The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. 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. Rexha's character helps Connie and JoJo evade the authorities, mainly by strengthening their internet security. Yes. Paul Walter Hauser's character, Ken Miller, seems to be a very loosely-inspired caricature of Bud Miller, the Executive Director of the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC). Lets break it down. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. In addition to the $40 million in counterfeit coupons that they confiscated, police seized $2 million in assets from the three women, including four homes, 22 guns, a 40-foot speed boat, and 21 vehicles. She is also known for her appearances in Killing Eve and Cruella. It appeared the women were making so much money, they werent even sure how to spend it all. 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 the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. HBOs Rain Dogs Finds Humor, Despair in the Working-Class Mum at its Center, Berlinale Highlights, Part Three: Hummingbirds, Concrete Valley, Afire, The Oneness of All Things: On Sofia Alaouis Animalia, New York International Childrens Film Festival Opens Window to the World. Capitalism always knows how to win. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. Queenpins Cast And Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From, Worth Cast & Character Guide: What The Real People Look Like, Free Guy Cast, Characters & All Cameos Guide, Q-Force Cast & Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From. The coupons are being sent through the mail and the FBI does not take it seriouslybecause it's coupons. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. Watch Queenpins | Prime Video - amazon.com Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. Yes, a bear actually did consumer millions of dollars worth of cocaine. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. This happened after various companies that had been impacted by the bogus coupons hired private investigators to uncover the origins of the coupons. He also doesn't work closely with the FBI. You don't always get your way. Queenpins | Official Trailer [HD] | In Theaters September 10 - YouTube Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. The fake coupon game isnt a joke. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. 'We gotta steal these coupons and sell them to families who really need them. Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly's Queenpins concerns two Arizona suburbanites, Connie (Kristen Bell) and JoJo (Kirby . Thecomedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. Read about the latest trends in couponing, get some new coupon alerts and keep up with stories across the country and around the world that have to do with coupons, the companies that issue them and the consumers who use them. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. 17:23 EST 23 Jul 2021 After he retired from the force, he took what he had learned from this case and others like it to found the Center on Shadow Economics, which works to mitigate the economic impact of black market crimes like counterfeit couponing. Goodbye coupons, hello high prices. So will Robin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson be going to see Queenpins this weekend? Bell plays former Olympian and bored. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. And thats why they make excuses, he said. And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. I try to work with police chiefs, at the state and local level, to come up with ways of explaining how important protecting our business infrastructure is, he said. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in the. But all were ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Procter & Gamble, just one of the many manufacturers whose coupons they counterfeited and sold. They enjoy their newfound wealth, only to have their criminal enterprise crumble when they are investigated, raided, and arrested. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Rare $300 sign-up bonus card hits market Ad The Ascent. The True Story Behind the Movie Queenpins - Film School Rejects Queenpins (2021) - IMDb 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. These are free item coupons,' Police Sgt. Ramirez, Fountain and Johnson were charged and convicted for running their very own $40 million counterfeit coupon scheme, for which theyre still paying the price and may well be for the rest of their lives. 'Queenpins' Review: Deals, Discounts and Delinquency - WSJ When Phoenix police seized the counterfeit coupons and the women's assets, they discovered computer records that listed all of the customers who had purchased coupons from the women. US Postal Inspector Simon Kilmurry (Vince Vaughn) appears to be entirely fictional. A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. Judge Daniel Martin sentenced her to 24 months, as well as seven years probation. No. "We're talking about anywhere from $400 to $600 million in loss," said Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department. 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. the three womens 2012 arrests for coupon fraud, the major motion picture they inspired is set to open in theaters this Friday, were ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Procter & Gamble, REVIEW: Queenpins Takes Coupon Counterfeiting to Extremes, The Cast and Crew of Queenpins Take a Crash Course in Coupons, Coupon Industry Gets Ready For Its Closeup, In Queenpins, A Q&A With the Creators of Queenpins, the Counterfeit Coupon Caper. 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' Review: Coupon Clippers Go Rogue in a Sly Crime Satire From left, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. 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. Click here to get in touch, or for information about advertising on the site. Ken: Yeah no, even if I wanted to switch, I think it's more important that your daughter learn a valuable lesson. The movie, which premieres September 10, offers a comical take on the true story ofRobin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain, and Marilyn Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona, who were arrested in 2012 for their years-long counterfeitingracket and ordered to pay P&G millions in restitution. His filmography contains works such as Face/Off, The Astronaut's Wife, and The Hangover Part II, and he will next be appearing inThe Ogilvy Fortune. Watch Queenpins: Bebe Rexha On The Experience She's Had So Far Acting In Her First Film Photos 17 Top cast Edit Kristen Bell Connie Kirby JoJo (as Kirby Howell-Baptiste) Paul Walter Hauser Ken Bebe Rexha Tempe Tina Lidia Porto Mrs. Flores Joel McHale Rick Greta Oglesby Mama Josie Eduardo Franco Greg (Cashier) Ben Sidell Man in Line Nneoma Sampson In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Coupon enthusiast Jill Cataldo warns, "Even though many places sell coupons online, you should never buy them. Thats the type of money they had.. The women sold their counterfeit coupons on various online sites, including eBay and their own website, SavvyShopperSite.com. A look at what really happened with the characters of Andrew Dominiks 2007 Western epic. Of course, the trailer also shows them later living in luxury and boarding private jets. Joel McHaleas Rick Kaminski- McHale plays Connie's husband who is worried about their growing amount of debt. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. If you can get an unlimited number of those, think how this grows. Credit: Courtesy STX Films "They're also some of the best writers I've ever worked with. In a later scene, another postal service worker says they stole 40 million in counterfeit coupons. In February of 2013,Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise, though a forgery charge was dropped. 'These aren't 50 cent off coupons. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. Just to make him more sympathetic, in addition to the $2 an hour, he has a pregnant wife who also works at the factory. 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. Now, with their story back in the spotlight, theres no escaping it, even nearly ten years later. 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.
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