Why the USPS? But thats just Connie and Jojo. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. Real Stories is an ongoing column about the true stories behind movies and TV shows. Credit: Courtesy STX Films "They're also some of the best writers I've ever worked with. , updated Ill go out on a limb here and predict that their once noble intentions go off the rails. As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. But court records indicate that she has not quite been able to put this case behind her. They were also ordered to pay Proctor & Gamble more than $1.2 million. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com No. Being clever with coupons makes her feel like she is making a financial contribution. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. Click here to get in touch, or for information about advertising on the site. 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.. No one who purchased coupons faced legal repercussions, but one cant help but think that they are the real losers here. 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. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. A charge for forgery was dropped. Having had enough of his lack of support, she declares that she wants a divorce. He described digging through trash cans, conducting surveillance, and ultimately kicking in the doors of the three womens homes, where they found a treasure trove of evidence coupons, cash, guns, along with what they later discovered was an airplane hangar filled with sports cars, a fully decked-out RV and a 40-foot speedboat. 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. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life Queenpins? He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. ', 'These people aren't buying a few coupons from this site,' Officer James Holmes added. (music by) Cinematography by Andrew Wehde . [1] It was released on September 10, 2021. No Offense, But These 2 Big Retailers Aren't The Cheapest Ad MoneyWise. It's not a seamless fit. Thats money in the bank.'. Queenpins is Rexha's first major acting role. Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson in QUEENPINS. she says. The comments below have not been moderated, By And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. Queenpins is a 2021 American comedy film written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. Jack McBrayerasAgent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy. 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. 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. Ken is the kind of guy who desperately wants to present himself as a stoic, but when alone, screams in rage. No. Judge Daniel Martin sentenced her to 24 months, as well as seven years probation. Netherlands ($200,244), United Arab Emirates ($123,281), Hungary ($88,609), Croatia ($41,810), Lithuania ($18,354), Iceland ($11,774), South Africa ($5,900) and Portugal ($5,501). The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in theCBS TV docu-series Pink Collar Crimes in 2018. Authorities eventually traced Ramirezs activity back to 2007. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. Shedisplays considerable comedy chopsin films like Bad Momsand is also well-known for her role as Anna inDisney's Frozen franchise. You Are Reading :Queenpins Cast And Character Guide Where You Know The Actors From. 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. Queenpins. 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. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. "We're Robin Hood," the queenpins reassure themselves. JoJo combines two people in real life:Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Queenpins (2021) Rated R for language throughout. 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. 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. It appeared the women were making so much money, they werent even sure how to spend it all. You don't always get your way. 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. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. According to Sgt. 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 comedy Queenpins is inspired by the largest coupon scam in U.S. history. 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. Johnson helped package and ship the coupons to customers, and Fountain placed hologram stickers on some of them to make them look more legitimate. 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. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. Written and directed byAron GaudetandGita Pullapilly, Queenpins is about two housewives who created a $40 million coupon scam. These companies included Hershey, Procter & Gamble, and the Coupon Information Corporation. But its funny that its gotten so much attention, Lake said. Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha makes her feature film debut in the Queenpins movie. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. This is based on the true story of three women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. And they get a monthly reminder every time they make their latest restitution payment. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. Details of the true story at the heart of Queenpinswere first revealed in July 2012. 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. His character represents the law enforcementin charge of tracking down the women responsible. However, everything that's built onto this premise in the movie is almost entirely fictional. 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. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. These are free-item coupons," Phoenix Police Sgt. She was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by seven years probation. And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. A Loss Prevention Officer and U.S. 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). The CIC and some of its members were on location in a mobile command unit watching the bust." Queenpins is playing in theaters with plans to stream on Paramount+ in the near future. Kristen Bell, her The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and singer Bebe Rexha are set to star in an upcoming comedy calledQueenpins, in which they play a trio of women who make bank in a coupon counterfeiting scam but the massive real-life fraud that inspired the film was no laughing matter. 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. But nobody really thought it was a big deal, because, you know, its coupons.. The duo then interview a group of postal workers, who remember JoJo, especially because Earl is always watching her videos. However, he doesn't appear to have inspired Vaughn's Kilmurry. The site's critics consensus reads: "Lowbrow humor and inconsistent storytelling undercut Queenpins' talented cast, making this coupon-clipping comedy a disappointingly poor bargain. Bebe Rexha is the tech genius, Tempe Tina. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? Before playing Agent Park, he was inTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,Wreck-It Ralph, Bob's Burgers, and many others. Two women create a $40 million coupon scam. According to Time magazine, they went undercover and purchased coupons as part of their effort to locate the source. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. I'd recommend this film for unwinding on a Friday night after a long week. 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. The fake coupon game isnt a joke. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. Their script is so nuanced and the words are chosen so perfectly. She was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan, and is the daughter of Lorelei (Frygier), a nurse, and Tom Bell, a television news director. The bare-bones blueprint for the story is accurate; a small group of women make millions selling counterfeit coupons. Nick CassavetesasCaptain Pain - Cassavetes plays Captain Pain in Queenpins. [9], Other box office grosses include Russia ($326,012), Ukraine ($221,109), 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). 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. 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. Despite the absurdity of the synopsis, believe it or not,Queenpins is based on a true story. 'We were ordering hundreds of dollars in coupons every month,' one anonymous user toldKentuckys WPSD. "These aren't 50-cent-off coupons. It's unclear if their real-life counterparts,Ramirez, Fountain, and Johnson, had such charitable aspirations when they started their illicitenterprise. [8], In June 2021, Showtime and Paramount+ acquired U.S. pay TV and streaming rights to the film for about $20 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. They also turned to the Coupon Information Corporation. Talk about extreme couponing! Vince Vaughnas Simon Kilmurry -Vince Vaughn plays Simon Kilmurry, a U.S. postal inspector who works with Ken to investigate the 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. 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. These are free item coupons,' Police Sgt. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Placeco-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. 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. 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. That's not how the world works y'know. "You've got yourself an eighteen-karat run of bad luck, kid.". The vehicles included a custom Corvette that was worth over $150,000. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. 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. All three women were arrested and charged with forgery, fraud and counterfeiting. A judge sentenced Ramirez to twenty-four months in prison and seven years probation. Vince Vaughn's other moviesincludemany big-budget action films and comedies such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Wedding Crashers. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Joel McHaleas Rick Kaminski- McHale plays Connie's husband who is worried about their growing amount of debt. Your email address will not be published. A bright spot is Bebe Rexha as a dark web expert who helps Connie and Jojo launder their money. The leader, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal control of an enterprise. Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. The ladies account is frozen due to suspicious activity, so Connie realizes they need to prove their business is legitimate. 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. Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. "[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. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. [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. Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly's Queenpins concerns two Arizona suburbanites, Connie (Kristen Bell) and JoJo (Kirby . Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? 17:42 EST 23 Jul 2021. Because at Coupons In The News, we believe an educated consumer is the best couponer! 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. Illegal couponing doesn't seem like ahigh-levelcrime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. (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. And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. The film is based on the true story of three Arizona women arrested in 2012 for a $40 million fraud involving coupons. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. 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. 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. We just wanted to create our own characters.. 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. Some movies are based on true stories, some movies are inspired by true stories. She has previously appeared with Bell on Bad Moms, buther claim to fame has been in screenwriting. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. By mail. Produced by Music by Siddhartha Khosla . He also explained the counterfeit coupon case to Gaudet and Pullapilly, who sought him out after their curiosity was piqued when they first read about the crime. She portrays a fictional computer hacker named Tempe Tina, who helps the two main characters with their coupon scam. "I am not spending money!" And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. From left, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Required fields are marked *. 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. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? David Lake said. Mumolo was an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for the romantic comedy Bridesmaids. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Vaughn is also currently appearing in the series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Her sacrifices have never been appreciated and she has been overlooked by her husband Rick, an IRS senior audit specialist, her loved ones and the rest of society. Thecomedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. Law-enforcement authorities, manufacturers, and retailers advise against purchasing coupons. Which brings us to Queenpins, a based-on-a-true-story comedy about the suburbanite besties behind the largest coupon counterfeit scam in U.S. history. Queenpins is a 2021 American comedy film written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. The story of the three womens 2012 arrests for coupon fraud is back in the news, as the major motion picture they inspired is set to open in theaters this Friday. 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. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. 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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