The comedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. Written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, Queenpins is about two housewives who created a $40 million coupon scam. The idea started just as a way for their two families to make ends meet as they struggled to pay the bills. However, they quickly learned that with a little crime, they could actually make money off of it.
Illegal couponing doesn't seem like a high-level crime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. Their unbelievable success eventually catches the attention of law enforcement. A Loss Prevention Officer and U.S. Postal Inspector lead the investigation into their activities, encountering multiple humorous setbacks along the way. While the characters in the 2021 movie Queenpins call out systemic inequality and the downfalls of capitalism, it's unlikely that their real-life counterparts shared these same sentiments. In 2012, investigators found millions of dollars worth in forged coupons.
Queenpins is playing in theaters with plans to stream on Paramount+ in the near future. The movie takes a more lighthearted angle on the real story, having to combine or tweak some of the people involved in order to work better as a film. Here's the cast and character guide for Queenpins, along with comparisons to some of the characters' counterparts in real life.
Kristen Bell stars as Connie Kaminski, a suburban housewife who just wants to find a solution for the debt burying her and her husband. Connie initially comes up with the couponing scheme, eventually teaming up with her friend to help her pull off the biggest coupon scam in U.S. history. Her real-life counterpart is Robin Ramirez, who police considered the ringleader of the criminal operation. At the time of her arrest, investigators discovered Ramirez had four online accounts and 12 bank accounts. Along with paying Procter & Gamble millions of dollars, Ramirez had to serve jail time.
Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. She displays considerable comedy chops in films like Bad Moms and is also well-known for her role as Anna in Disney's Frozen franchise. Bell will next be lending her voice to the animated show Do, Re & Mi, as well as appearing in the miniseries The Woman in the House.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste co-stars as JoJo Johnson, an aspiring YouTube vlogger and Connie's partner in crime. JoJo combines two people in real life: Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson. Johnson helped package and ship the coupons to customers, and Fountain placed hologram stickers on some of them to make them look more legitimate. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. Howell-Baptiste previously worked with Bell on Veronica Mars and The Good Place. She is also known for her appearances in Killing Eve and Cruella. She can next be seen in the indie film Silent Night and later in The Sandman TV series.
Bebe Rexha is the tech genius, Tempe Tina. Rexha's character helps Connie and JoJo evade the authorities, mainly by strengthening their internet security. She suggests making fake identities and multiple accounts to store their earnings. Tempe Tina does not have a real-life counterpart. 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. In reality, the women 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 is Rexha's first major acting role. Previously, she worked as a singer and songwriter, penning hits like Eminem and Rihanna's "The Monster" and collaborating with bands such as Florida Georgia Line. She has also worked on soundtracks for movies like Abominable and, most recently, He's All That.
Paul Walter Hauser as Ken Miller - Paul Walter Hauser plays Loss Prevention Officer Ken Miller, whose rather unexciting job takes a turn when he discovers the fake coupon scheme. Hauser previously worked with Howell-Baptiste in Cruella and also appeared in I, Tonya. He can next be seen in the movie Delia's Gone.
Vince Vaughn as Simon Kilmurry - Vince Vaughn plays Simon Kilmurry, a U.S. postal inspector who works with Ken to investigate the coupon scam. His character represents the law enforcement in charge of tracking down the women responsible. Vince Vaughn's other movies include many big-budget action films and comedies such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Wedding Crashers. Vaughn is also currently appearing in the series Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Joel McHale as Rick Kaminski - McHale plays Connie's husband who is worried about their growing amount of debt. McHale is perhaps best known for his role in Community, and will next be starring in the series Black Box.
Dayo Okeniyi as Earl - 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. Okeniyi appeared in The Hunger Games and Run Sweetheart Run, and his next role is in Greek Freak.
Nick Cassavetes as Captain Pain - Cassavetes plays Captain Pain in Queenpins. His filmography contains works such as Face/Off, The Astronaut's Wife, and The Hangover Part II, and he will next be appearing in The Ogilvy Fortune.
Jack McBrayer as Agent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy. Before playing Agent Park, he was in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Wreck-It Ralph, Bob's Burgers, and many others.
Annie Mumolo as Crystal - Mumolo appears in the minor role of Crystal. She has previously appeared with Bell on Bad Moms, but her claim to fame has been in screenwriting. Mumolo was an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for the romantic comedy Bridesmaids. Her next acting role is for the movie Confess, Fletch.
Queenpins debuted in theaters on September 10, 2021.
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