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.. Queenpins has arrived in theaters and on Paramount+, telling the story of the countrys largest counterfeit coupon scam. She lives with her mother and is trying to be an entrepreneur with a series of YouTube videos featuring tips on saving. You can't make this stuff up - and the filmmakers didn't have to. 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. Shecan next be seen in the indie film Silent Night and later inThe Sandman TV series. 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 just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. 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. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Related:Worth Cast & Character Guide: What The Real People Look Like. In 2012, investigators found millions of dollars worth in forged coupons. 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. Ame hissed, "Getting partnered with someone like me. 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 bare-bones blueprint for the story is accurate; a small group of women make millions selling counterfeit coupons. She was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by seven years probation. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. 'Sometimes I would come out with three carts of groceries.'. In the wake of the bust, all three women pleaded guilty. The idea started just as a way for their two families to make ends meet as they struggled to pay the bills. [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. They joined forces with several other affected companies and hired private investigators to track the source of the fraudulent coupons. A look at what really happened with the characters of Andrew Dominiks 2007 Western epic. 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. Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. That's one reasonbeyond saving moneythe scam was so successful. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. [5] In October 2020, Bebe Rexha joined the cast of the film. If you can get an unlimited number of those, think how this grows" (Yahoo Finance). Credit: Courtesy STX Films. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. It might have been more interesting to have lead police officer on the case a woman, as it was in the actual arrest. And thats why they make excuses, he said. $100,000 x 40 is 4 million not 40 million. Review: Scamming Audiences with Sophomoric Humor and Dubious Politics. In real life, the Phoenix Police Department led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI. 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. These companies included Hershey, Procter & Gamble, and the Coupon Information Corporation. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? Howell-Baptiste previously worked with Bell on Veronica Mars and The Good Place. [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. Lets break it down. Yes. 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. Ken: Yeah no, even if I wanted to switch, I think it's more important that your daughter learn a valuable lesson. At the time of her arrest, investigators discovered Ramirez had four online accounts and 12 bank accounts. Why the USPS? The trios many customers never faced charges but they might have. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. Paul Walter Hauseras Ken Miller -Paul Walter Hauser plays Loss Prevention Officer Ken Miller, whoserather unexciting job takes a turn when he discovers the fake coupon scheme. Bud is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and an industry veteran. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. 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. They included coupons for anything from Hershey bars to dog food to diapers. While the movie is focused on two women, there were three at the heart of the real coupon ring. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? 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. 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 was then that they learned of the fakes that were in circulation. 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. Others nabbed coupons for free pet food, diapers, and household goods from as many as 40 major manufacturers, including PepsiCo and Hershey. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. That includes the details about the women and the two men chasing after them. This installment focuses on the true story behind the crime comedy Queenpins. 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. "You are spending money we don't have," her husband says, looking at what was once supposed to be a nursery, now converted into what looks like a grocery warehouse. director of photography Film Editing by Kayla Emter . Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. 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. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. But thats just Connie and Jojo. But the coupons were high-quality counterfeits. It's unclear if their real-life counterparts,Ramirez, Fountain, and Johnson, had such charitable aspirations when they started their illicitenterprise. However, everything that's built onto this premise in the movie is almost entirely fictional. Though the pair face forty-years-to-life, the companies that they victimized clandestinely press the courts for leniency to avoid bad press, resulting in ten days imprisonment plus one year of probation for JoJo and eleven months incarceration (parole eligible in eight) for Connie. 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. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. Instead, he becomes highly frustrated when the FBI blows off his concerns. Con Kristen Bell, Lidia Porto, Joel McHale, Kirby. 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. 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. 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. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. 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