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. Bud Miller, Executive Director of the Coupon Information Center, told money-saving columnist Jill Cataldo at the time, "These customers should expect contact in the future." In researching the Queenpins true story, we learned that Procter & Gamble did an audit of their third-party coupon processors. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. The true story behind Queenpins reveals that the women bought them in bulk overseas and then posted them for sale on sites like eBay and their own website, SavvyShopperSite.com, which is now defunct. 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. [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. A Loss Prevention Officer and U.S. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. This happened after various companies that had been impacted by the bogus coupons hired private investigators to uncover the origins of the coupons. Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. One account had more than $2 million dollars. ', 'These people aren't buying a few coupons from this site,' Officer James Holmes added. Their script is so nuanced and the words are chosen so perfectly. 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. Others nabbed coupons for free pet food, diapers, and household goods from as many as 40 major manufacturers, including PepsiCo and Hershey. For diapers and toothpaste. 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. This is much more inspired So we dont really know anything about the real players and we kind of didnt want to. 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. 'We gotta steal these coupons and sell them to families who really need them. They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". On the case to bust them: a supermarket's. Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. Law-enforcement authorities, manufacturers, and retailers advise against purchasing coupons. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. 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. 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. 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. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. 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 Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly's Queenpins concerns two Arizona suburbanites, Connie (Kristen Bell) and JoJo (Kirby . He'd be scary if the film didn't make him the literal butt of the joke. However, they quickly learned that with a little crime, they could actually make money off of it. Credit: Courtesy STX Films. 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. However, everything that's built onto this premise in the movie is almost entirely fictional. Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson in QUEENPINS. They may also expose themselves to additional risk by providing their names, home addresses, and financial information to organized crime rings." In the wake of the bust, all three women pleaded guilty. From left, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. And it does seem like Queenpinswill take a comedic look at the inequality underpinning the counterfeit coupon market. So will Robin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson be going to see Queenpins this weekend? 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 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. Procter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. The comedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. 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. (edited by) Casting By Ben Harris Allison Jones Production Design by Jennifer Klide Art Direction by Adri Siriwatt Costume Design by Julie Carnahan Makeup Department Production Management Mike Upton . Ill go out on a limb here and predict that their once noble intentions go off the rails. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. Preferred customers could get even better deals on better coupons. A reality television series about this trend had an episode on the Arizona coupon case. Queenpins. No one who purchased coupons faced legal repercussions, but one cant help but think that they are the real losers here. 'We were ordering hundreds of dollars in coupons every month,' one anonymous user toldKentuckys WPSD. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. Being clever with coupons makes her feel like she is making a financial contribution. 'Queenpins' Plot Summary He has been commended by the FBI for supporting them in numerous efforts to fight "complex coupon fraud schemes." Herreal-life counterpart isRobin Ramirez, who police considered the ringleader of the criminal operation. 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. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. Had their deals been a little worse, maybe the women would have never gotten caught. Just to make him more sympathetic, in addition to the $2 an hour, he has a pregnant wife who also works at the factory. The story actually began more than a decade ago, when the women started selling their coupons online. "We knew, based on our research on past films, the more we dig into the real lives, it becomes much more serious, much more dramatic," Pullapilly told the, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. 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. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). The Coupon Queens cheated as many as 40 major manufacturers (Business Insider). But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. Ramirez, Fountain and Johnson are now having to live with what they did. 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. In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in the. "We're talking about anywhere from $400 to $600 million in loss," said Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. They'd then sell them on eBay and a website, SavvyShopperSite, for a profit. But nobody really thought it was a big deal, because, you know, its coupons.. They encounter married employees Alejandro and Rosa Diaz, who agree to send them the unused coupons. As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. The site's critics consensus reads: "Lowbrow humor and inconsistent storytelling undercut Queenpins' talented cast, making this coupon-clipping comedy a disappointingly poor bargain. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Many of the details of the real story have been changed, including the names, but also backstories to make the characters more sympathetic. Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha makes her feature film debut in the Queenpins movie. Like a coupon high, the fun of this movie does not last. 'They're buying bunches, and they're redeeming them in bunches.'. Queenpins, directed and written by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, adapts a real-life story and presents it most humorously and entertainingly. 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. A real disc jockey inspired Robin Williams classic character. The Queenpins true story reveals that there were three women involved in the real-life scheme, not two like in the movie. David Lake of the Phoenix Police Department. The cruelty-free sacred oil that will anoint Charles as King: Monarch breaks Coronation Day tradition with 'I have nothing to say to you': Father of Mallory Beach - who was killed in a boat crash while Alex Murdaugh's Alex Murdaugh is seen with his prison buzz cut as he starts two life sentences without parole for killing his Family 'mortified' after being thrown out of Mother Goose panto for bringing their baby with them, after venue Is this Britain's most despicable man? Illegal couponing doesn't seem like ahigh-levelcrime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. You can't make this stuff up - and the filmmakers didn't have to. Her term of probation was recently extended for another five years, after she fell more than $4,000 behind in her restitution payments. Her next acting roleisfor the movie Confess, Fletch. That would be too prestigious for Hauser's wannabe-cop Miller (Hauser borrows from his 2019 performance in Richard Jewell). Nick CassavetesasCaptain Pain - Cassavetes plays Captain Pain in Queenpins. I have never purchased coupons from a clipping service or an auction site." , updated "These aren't 50-cent-off coupons. .aspect-ratio-box { height: 0; overflow: hidden; padding-top: calc(720 / 1280 * 100%); background: #f9f9f9; position: relative; margin-bottom:30px; } .aspect-ratio-box-inside { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }, Read original story Queenpins': Heres the Real Story Behind Kristen Bells Crime Comedy At TheWrap, July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Queenpins': Heres the Real Story Behind Kristen Bells Crime Comedy, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works', How to watch every Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee. The character mainly functions to forward the plot and as the other half of the "buddy-cop" duo with Ken Miller (Paul Walter Hauser). Lets break it down. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. There's a reason Bell is making quips about crime. Ken: Yeah no, even if I wanted to switch, I think it's more important that your daughter learn a valuable lesson. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. Hauser previouslyworked with Howell-Baptiste in Cruella and also appeared in I, Tonya. Next:Q-Force Cast & Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From. Vince Vaughnas Simon Kilmurry -Vince Vaughn plays Simon Kilmurry, a U.S. postal inspector who works with Ken to investigate the coupon scam. We just wanted to create our own characters.. 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. The crime comedy is based on a counterfeit coupon empire that shocked law enforcement. Yes, a bear actually did consumer millions of dollars worth of cocaine. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Place co-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. Bebe Rexha is the tech genius, Tempe Tina. You Are Reading :Queenpins Cast And Character Guide Where You Know The Actors From. [9], Other box office grosses include Russia ($326,012), Ukraine ($221,109), You cant make this stuff up and the filmmakers didnt have to. Annie MumoloasCrystal - Mumolo appears in the minor role of Crystal. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. 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. She does not seem to take it too seriously, telling us that "this is a story about little old coupons.". Bud Miller is thought to have loosely inspired Paul Walter Hauser's character in the movie, Ken Miller. [5] In October 2020, Bebe Rexha joined the cast of the film. Some customers became aware of the bust after they tried to use the coupons and they didn't work.