queenpins real characters

Her term of probation was recently extended for another five years, after she fell more than $4,000 behind in her restitution payments. The postal inspector tells Connie it's 1 year for every $100,000 earned fraudulently and that she's looking at 40 years. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. Having had enough of his lack of support, she declares that she wants a divorce. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. We're all looking for a loophole to find our joy and happiness in life." The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. [5] In October 2020, Bebe Rexha joined the cast of the film. His character represents the law enforcementin charge of tracking down the women responsible. Slapstick . 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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. -Daily Mail. They encounter married employees Alejandro and Rosa Diaz, who agree to send them the unused coupons. While JoJo is released on bail, Rick visits Connie only so he can admonish her, having been informed by Simon that she and JoJo have defrauded over 240 companies of tens of millions of dollars. According to Sgt. But the coupons were high-quality counterfeits. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. So they may be the first ones to tell you that coupon crime may make for a great Hollywood comedy but in real life, its no laughing matter. 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. 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. Savvy Shopper Site had a few other suspicious requirements. Credit: Courtesy STX Films "They're also some of the best writers I've ever worked with. Watching "Queenpins" is like eating grocery store birthday cake. 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. 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. It's very easy to say their words," says Kristen. A bright spot is Bebe Rexha as a dark web expert who helps Connie and Jojo launder their money. 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. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. Why the USPS? The duo then interview a group of postal workers, who remember JoJo, especially because Earl is always watching her videos. No one who purchased coupons faced legal repercussions, but one cant help but think that they are the real losers here. -Investigative Consultants. [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. However, he doesn't appear to have inspired Vaughn's Kilmurry. [7], Principal photography began in October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupons wasnt even the biggest, most interesting case I did. Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with U.S. postal inspector Simon Kilmurry. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. According to Time magazine, they went undercover and purchased coupons as part of their effort to locate the source. Autumn has a Master of Arts in English from Northern Michigan University, where she also taught superhero-themed composition courses. 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. Included in the seizures were $25,000,000 worth of fake coupons, 22 assault weapons, and 21 vehicles including a 40 foot boat. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. Bud Miller, who was the Executive Director of the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC), told money-saving columnist Jill Cataldo, "Initial contact was made by a SWAT team removing the front door of a residence by force. Afterwards, the duo begins their own website and small business "Savvy Super Saver", which helps them sell numerous coupons and generate profit. [3] In July 2020, it was announced Paul Walter Hauser and Vince Vaughn had joined the cast of the film. Here . Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. On the case to bust them: a supermarkets loss-prevention officer and a US postal inspector, played by Paul Walter HauserandVince Vaughn, respectively. The group would have fake coupons made oversees, including reproductions of legitimate coupons and made-up ones with steep savings. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. For diapers and toothpaste. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. The amount covered all of P&G's losses, for the fake coupons as well as extra manpower needed to deal with the issue. The comedy Queenpins is inspired by the largest coupon scam in U.S. history. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. Here's the cast and character guide for Queenpins, along with comparisons to some of the characters' counterparts in real life. 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. You don't always get your way. At $300 a month, even if she stays current in her payments, it will take more than 120 years to pay off her share of the restitution order. I went to the detectives and I said, we have what appears to be a large multimillion-dollar, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars, theft affecting over 240 victims, the now-retired Lake told Coupons in the News. Review: Scamming Audiences with Sophomoric Humor and Dubious Politics. They enjoy their newfound wealth, only to have their criminal enterprise crumble when they are investigated, raided, and arrested. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. That includes the details about the women and the two men chasing after them. 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. Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. The CIC and some of its members were on location in a mobile command unit watching the bust." 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. 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. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. 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. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. Required fields are marked *. The real-life Queenpins: How three Arizona women were busted with $25 MILLION in counterfeit coupons they were selling online - and inspired a new movie starring Kristen Bell 'Sometimes I would come out with three carts of groceries.'. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com Shecan next be seen in the indie film Silent Night and later inThe Sandman TV series. "I am not spending money!" In 2012, investigators found millions of dollars worth in forged coupons. The ring used a series of twelve different bank accounts to house their money. 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. Like a coupon high, the fun of this movie does not last. Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson in QUEENPINS. 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. Then-forty-year-old Robin Ramirez led the group, which included Marilyn Johnson, then-fifty-four, and Amiko Amy Fountain, then-forty-two. Produced by Music by Siddhartha Khosla . Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? 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. The real-life Queenpins thought that the similar name would make their scheme appear more legitimate. Lets break it down. The other two women pleaded guilty to a single charge of counterfeiting. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life Queenpins? she says. But nobody really thought it was a big deal, because, you know, its coupons.. Judge Daniel Martin sentenced her to 24 months, as well as seven years probation. Ken is the kind of guy who desperately wants to present himself as a stoic, but when alone, screams in rage. Thats money in the bank.'. Nick CassavetesasCaptain Pain - Cassavetes plays Captain Pain in Queenpins. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. The scheme came crashing down after forty businesses, including major companies like Proctor & Gamble, Hershey, and PepsiCo, filed fraud complaints. The crime comedy is based on a counterfeit coupon empire that shocked law enforcement. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. On the case to bust them: a supermarket's. 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. From writer-directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, the film stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Ba. 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. None of the characters are based on the real individuals involved, Gaudet told Coupons in the News. 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. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". By mail. They were charged with counterfeiting, forgery, operating an illegal enterprise, money laundering, and other violations. After multiple, very expensive fertility treatment failures, she and her IRS auditor husband (Joel McHale, given nothing to do) are estranged and deeply in debt. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, playing the lead roles, are as spectacular as ever. Kiara frowned, watching the usually stoic Ame toss and turn in the driver's seat. That would be too prestigious for Hauser's wannabe-cop Miller (Hauser borrows from his 2019 performance in Richard Jewell). 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. 'They're buying bunches, and they're redeeming them in bunches.'. If you can get an unlimited number of those, think how this grows" (Yahoo Finance). She has previously appeared with Bell on Bad Moms, buther claim to fame has been in screenwriting. McHaleis perhaps best known for his role inCommunity, and will next be starring in the series Black Box. They were also ordered to pay Proctor & Gamble more than $1.2 million. We just wanted to create our own characters.. Police in Phoenix, Arizona, announced the arrest of three women after they confiscated more than $25 million worth of fake coupons in a raid. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. Ken: Yeah no, even if I wanted to switch, I think it's more important that your daughter learn a valuable lesson. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. 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. Judge Rosa Mroz of Maricopa County Superior Court ordered all three to payProcter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. But during Proctor & Gamble'sroutine audits ofthird-party coupon processors, the discovered fakes in circulation and hired private investigators to do some more digging. [9], Other box office grosses include Russia ($326,012), Ukraine ($221,109), 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. Real Stories is an ongoing column about the true stories behind movies and TV shows. Con Kristen Bell, Lidia Porto, Joel McHale, Kirby. Ramirez, the ringleader, was the only one sentenced to prison time two years while her counterparts got probation. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. Queenpins' cast of characters also includes familiar faces like Bebe Rexha, Vince Vaughn, and Joel McHale in supporting roles. 'Its like Robin Hood,' Howell-Baptiste's character says in the trailer, summing up the coupon fraud plan. They were a part of a fast-rising category referred to as "pink collar criminals," "nice" suburban women who commit non-violent crimes, mostly fraud or embezzling from businesses or from community organizations like the PTA. They'd then sell them on eBay and a website, SavvyShopperSite, for a profit. Law-enforcement authorities, manufacturers, and retailers advise against purchasing coupons. They joined forces with several other affected companies and hired private investigators to track the source of the fraudulent coupons. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 17:23 EST 23 Jul 2021 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. Shedisplays considerable comedy chopsin films like Bad Momsand is also well-known for her role as Anna inDisney's Frozen franchise. She suggestsmaking fake identities and multiple accounts to store their earnings. The details were first revealed after a Tuesday morning raid in July 2012 by the Phoenix Arizona Police Department. Aron and I were immediately drawn to the story and had to understand it more, Pullapilly said. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Queenpins (2021)? Bell plays former Olympian and bored. 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. Analysts Predict More Deals in the Grocery Store This Year, Savings Apps Are All the Rage This One Most of All, Grocery Shoppers Shrug Off A Tumultuous Year, Couponer Is Dealt A Final Setback In Decade-Old Dispute. 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 aren't 50 cent off coupons. But Lake determinedly led his team in pursuing the case. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. The film is based on the true story of three Arizona women arrested in 2012 for a $40 million fraud involving coupons. 'We were ordering hundreds of dollars in coupons every month,' one anonymous user toldKentuckys WPSD. Okeniyi appeared in The Hunger Games and Run Sweetheart Run, and his next role is in Greek Freak. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? Yes. In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. Their script is so nuanced and the words are chosen so perfectly. Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise. They also seized more than $2 million in other assets, including 22 guns, cash, 21 vehicles, and a speed boat. Alienated by her uninspiring existence being unemployed and having suffered a miscarriage in an attempt to conceive a child, Connie commiserates with her best friend Joanna "JoJo" Johnson, who has been unable to secure proper employment since having her identity stolen and thus lives with her mother Josephine, attempting to generate revenue by making YouTube videos while being amorously pursued by the local mailman, Earl. It is also revealed that Connie, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to conceive following her miscarriage, is finally pregnant through in vitro fertilization. Preferred customers could get even better deals on better coupons. For example, a person could use a $25 coupon to purchase a $15 bag of dog food and receive the difference in cash. The filmmakers, Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, chose not to interview the real Queenpins for the movie. Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. If you can get an unlimited number of those, think how this grows. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. You can't make this stuff up - and the filmmakers didn't have to. 110 minutes Cast Kristen Bell Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Paul Walter Hauser Vince Vaughn Joel McHale Bebe Rexha as Tempe Tina Dayo Okeniyi Nick Cassavetes Michael Masini Paul Rust Eduardo Franco Marc Evan Jackson Lidia Porto Greta Oglesby Jack McBrayer Annie Mumolo Director Aron Gaudet Procter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. Husband-and-wife filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly did fly to Arizona in 2018 to interview the real detective who worked the case. Along with paying Procter & Gamble millions of dollars, Ramirez had to serve jail time. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. Woman on Plane: Hey sorry, uhm, would you mind if we switched seats, just for this last part? In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Dave Lake told CBS5 later. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. The fake coupon game isnt a joke. She and JoJo then learn that the coupons originate from an Advanced Solutions factory in Chihuahua, Mexico, deciding to travel there and collect the coupons to redistribute to other mothers and wives. She really likes to watch out the window as we land and it helps calm her down. The women guaranteed a one-hundred-percent return rate if a store rejected one of their coupons. These are free item coupons,' Police Sgt. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. 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. One account had more than $2 million dollars. 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. A look at the counterculture movement that became the religious right. See production, box office & company info. A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? She was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by seven years probation. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in the. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. 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. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. "[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 vehicles included a custom Corvette that was worth over $150,000. 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. A real disc jockey inspired Robin Williams classic character. 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.

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