Queenpins

{{Short description|2021 comedy film}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Queenpins | image = Queenpins poster.jpg | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = {{Plainlist| * [[Aron Gaudet]] * [[Gita Pullapilly]] }} | producer = {{Plainlist| * Linda McDonough *[[Nicholas Weinstock]] *[[Ben Stiller]] }} | writer = {{Plainlist| * Aron Gaudet * Gita Pullapilly }} | starring = {{Plainlist|  * [[Kristen Bell]] * [[Kirby Howell-Baptiste]] * [[Paul Walter Hauser]] * [[Bebe Rexha]] * [[Vince Vaughn]] }} | music = [[Siddhartha Khosla]] | cinematography = Andrew Wehde | editing = Kayla Emter | studio = {{Plainlist| * [[AGC Studios]] * Marquee Entertainment * [[Red Hour Productions]] }} | distributor = {{Plainlist| * [[STXfilms]] * [[Paramount+]] (through [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]]) }} | released = {{Film date|2021|9|10|United States}} | runtime = 110 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $6.7 million<ref name="ParamountSale"/> | gross = $1.2 million }}

'''''Queenpins''''' is a 2021 American [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Aron Gaudet]] and [[Gita Pullapilly]]. It stars [[Kristen Bell]], [[Kirby Howell-Baptiste]], [[Paul Walter Hauser]], [[Bebe Rexha]], and [[Vince Vaughn]]. [[Ben Stiller]] serves as an executive producer under his [[Red Hour Productions]] banner.

''Queenpins'' was released in a limited theatrical release via [[Cinemark]] in the United States on September 10, 2021, by [[STXfilms]] and in the United States on [[Paramount+]] on September 30, 2021. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

The film is based on the story of Robin Ramirez, Amiko (Amy) Fountain, and Marilyn Johnson who were arrested by the Phoenix Police in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Kevin |title=Queenpins vs. the True Story of the Real Counterfeit Coupon Ring |url=https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/queenpins/ |access-date=2025-12-17 |website=HistoryvsHollywood.com |language=en}}</ref> The police found more than $25 million of fake coupons in Ramirez's house and seized more than $2 million worth of assets including 22 firearms, 21 vehicles, and a 40-foot boat.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==Plot==  Suburban housewife Connie Kaminski, a three-time gold medal-winning former [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] [[Racewalking|racewalker]], has been overlooked by her husband Rick, an [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] senior audit specialist, and the rest of society. Alienated by her uninspiring existence being unemployed and having suffered a miscarriage after a few attempts to conceive a child via [[In vitro fertilisation|in vitro fertilization]], 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. JoJo attempts to generate revenue by making YouTube videos while being amorously pursued by the local mailman, Earl.

After a frustrating day, Connie writes a complaint letter to General Mills about the Wheaties she ate being stale. Soon, she receives a [[coupon]] for a free box of cereal. Greg Garcia, a cashier at her local A&G Family Marts store, explains that companies habitually respond to complaint letters by sending coupons for free items.

Connie and JoJo then learn that the coupons originate from an Advanced Solutions factory in [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], [[Mexico]]. They travel there and enlist married employees Alejandro and Rosa Diaz, who agree to send them the unused coupons.

Afterward, the duo began their own website and small business "Savvy Super Saver," where they sell coupons and generate profit. However, Ken Miller, a [[Retail loss prevention|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. Unsuccessful at pressuring his superiors to act, he decides to handle the case himself.

The duo's account is frozen due to suspicious activity, so Connie realizes that they need to prove their business is legitimate. They contact the hacker who stole JoJo's identity, Tempe Tina, and she instructs them to secure their money, suggesting that they use JoJo's cosmetics brand Back 2 Black to disguise their operation.

After six months, they figure their money is safe to use but decide they should spend and clean it as a backup plan. Tina then contacts them and criticizes their overspending, explaining their money was already clean, so their purchases are causing suspicions; she instructs them to deposit money back into the bank in small increments and to sell their big purchases.

Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with [[United States Postal Inspection Service|U.S. postal inspector]] Simon Kilmurry. They interview people from grocery stores that the ladies frequent, almost all of whom recognize Connie due to her irritating coupon usage. The duo then interviews a group of postal workers, who remember JoJo, especially because Earl is always watching her videos.

Simon and Ken get federal agents to arrest the pair. Earl bails JoJo out of jail, but Rick visits Connie solely to admonish her. Weary of his lack of support, she declares that she wants a divorce.

Despite the pair facing forty years to life, the companies that they victimized clandestinely press the courts for leniency to avoid bad press. This results in ten days suspended imprisonment plus one year of probation for JoJo and eleven months incarceration (parole eligible in eight months) for Connie.

Even though most of their fraudulent earnings have been confiscated, the pair have hundreds of thousands of dollars stashed away. JoJo starts a relationship with Earl and relocates to [[Montenegro]], where the pair can restart the scam upon Connie's release since the country does not [[Extradition|extradite]] suspects. It is also revealed that Connie has finally become pregnant.

==Cast==  {{Cast listing| * [[Kristen Bell]] as Connie Kaminski * [[Kirby Howell-Baptiste]] as Joanna "JoJo" Johnson * [[Paul Walter Hauser]] as Ken Miller * [[Vince Vaughn]] as Simon Kilmurry * [[Joel McHale]] as Rick Kaminski * [[Bebe Rexha]] as Tempe Tina * [[Dayo Okeniyi]] as Earl * Greta Oglesby as Josephine "Mama Josie" Johnson, JoJo's mother * [[Jack McBrayer]] as Agent Park * Michael Masini as Agent Harris * [[Annie Mumolo]] as Crystal * [[Stephen Root]] as Agent Flanagan * [[Paul Rust]] as Albert Anderson * [[Timm Sharp]] as the gun dealer * [[Eduardo Franco (actor)|Eduardo Franco]] as Greg Garcia, the cashier }}

In addition, the scenes involving the gun sale include short appearances by co-director and co-writer Aron Gaudet's brother Nick as a barista, as well as [[Nick Cassavetes]] as Captain Pain, the leader of the group buying the guns.

==Production== In May 2019, it was announced [[Kristen Bell]] and [[Leslie Jones (comedian)|Leslie Jones]] had joined the cast of the film, with [[Aron Gaudet]] and [[Gita Pullapilly]] directing from a screenplay they wrote.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/leslie-jones-kristen-bell-coupon-cartel-saga-queenpins-lands-with-rocket-science-cannes-1202611234/|title=Leslie Jones-Kristen Bell Coupon Caper 'Queenpins' Lands With Rocket Science — Cannes|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Andreas|last=Wiseman|date=May 9, 2019|access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref> In July 2020, it was announced [[Paul Walter Hauser]] and [[Vince Vaughn]] had joined the cast of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/07/vince-vaughn-paul-walter-hauser-join-kristen-bell-leslie-jones-comedy-queenpins-1202979333/|title=Vince Vaughn & Paul Walter Hauser Join Comedy 'Queenpins' With Leslie Jones & Kristen Bell|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Tom|last=Grater|date=July 7, 2020|access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref> In September 2020, [[Kirby Howell-Baptiste]] joined the cast of the film, replacing Jones, with [[Ben Stiller]] joining as an executive producer under his [[Red Hour Productions]] banner, with [[STX Entertainment]] set to distribute.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/kristen-bell-kirby-howell-baptiste-coupon-scam-comedy-queenpins-snapped-up-by-stx-tiff-1234572611/|title=Kristen Bell & Kirby Howell-Baptiste Coupon Scam Comedy 'Queenpins' Snapped Up By STX – Toronto|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=September 8, 2020|access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref> In October 2020, [[Bebe Rexha]] joined the cast of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/bebe-rexha-queenpins-kristen-bell-1234817706/|title=Bebe Rexha Joins Kristen Bell in Comedy 'Queenpins'|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Rebecca|last=Rubin|date=October 28, 2020|access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref> In December 2020, [[Dayo Okeniyi]], [[Joel McHale]], [[Nick Cassavetes]], Michael Masini, [[Paul Rust]], [[Eduardo Franco (actor)|Eduardo Franco]], [[Marc Evan Jackson]], [[Lidia Porto]], Greta Oglesby, [[Jack McBrayer]] and [[Annie Mumolo]] joined the cast of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/12/queenpins-stxfilms-kristen-bell-dayo-okeniyi-joel-mchale-nick-cassavetes-michael-masini-eduardo-franco-paul-rust-marc-evan-jackson-lidia-porto-greta-oglesby-jack-mcbrayer-annie-mumolo-1234650025/|title=Dayo Okeniyi, Joel McHale, Nick Cassavetes, Michael Masini, Eduardo Franco, Paul Rust And 3 More Join 'Queenpins'; Jack McBrayer And Annie Mumolo To Cameo|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Dino|last=Day-Ramos|date=December 3, 2020|access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref>

[[Principal photography]] began in October 2020, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CGp9dgNJtjO/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/arongaudet/2425740182598113486 |archive-date=2021-12-25 |url-access=registration|title=And so it begins... 👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏾✂️💵 #Queenpins|website=[[Instagram]]|first=Aron|last=Gaudet|date=October 22, 2020|access-date=January 14, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Release== In June 2021, [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] and [[Paramount+]] acquired U.S. pay TV and streaming rights to the film for about $20 million.<ref name="ParamountSale">{{cite web|title=STXfilms' Kristen Bell Coupon Clipping Scam Comedy 'Queenpins' Sells US For $20M+ To Paramount+ & Showtime |url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/kristen-bell-coupon-clipping-scam-comedy-queenpins-stxfilms-north-american-deal-21-million-to-paramount-plus-showtime-1234775010/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Mike Jr.|last=Fleming|date=June 14, 2021}}</ref> It was released on September 10, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/stx-dates-queenpins-national-champions-violence-of-action-untitled-guy-ritchie-movie-for-2021-beyond-1234783481/|title=STX Dates 'Queenpins', 'National Champions', 'Violence Of Action' & Untitled Guy Ritchie Movie For 2021 & Beyond|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=June 29, 2021|access-date=June 29, 2021}}</ref>

==Reception==

===Box office=== Other box office grosses include Russia ($326,012), Ukraine ($221,109), 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).<ref name=BOM>{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=9054192|title= Queenpins (2021)|accessdate= September 17, 2021}}</ref>

===Critical reception=== On the review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 62 reviews with an average rating of 5.40/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Lowbrow humor and inconsistent storytelling undercut ''Queenpins''{{'}} talented cast, making this coupon-clipping comedy a disappointingly poor bargain."<ref>{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=queenpins |type=m |title=Queenpins (2021) |access-date= December 20, 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{Cite Metacritic |id=queenpins |type=movie |title= Queenpins Reviews |access-date=September 15, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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 (film)|Richard Jewell]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McLachlan |first1=Megan |title=Paul Walter Hauser Quietly Steals Delightful Crime Comedy 'Queenpins' |url=https://www.awardsdaily.com/2021/09/09/queenpins-review/ |website=awardsdaily.com |date=9 September 2021 |access-date=22 December 2021}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|9054192}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

[[Category:AGC Studios films]] [[Category:American crime comedy films]] [[Category:Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic]] [[Category:Films scored by Siddhartha Khosla]] [[Category:Films set in the Las Vegas Valley]] [[Category:Films set in Montenegro]] [[Category:Films set in Phoenix, Arizona]] [[Category:Films set in Salt Lake City]] [[Category:STX Entertainment films]] [[Category:Red Hour Productions films]] [[Category:2021 comedy films]] [[Category:2021 films]] [[Category:2021 English-language films]] [[Category:2021 American films]] [[Category:Comedy films based on actual events]]