Queenpins is an American comedy-drama film, released in 2021. Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly are the directors of the movie. It was released on Netflix in January 2024. Not only that, it topped the charts at #1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official synopsis of the film reads: “A housewife and her friend come up with a scheme to scam millions from big conglomerates through coupons. A loss prevention officer teams up with a postal inspector to track them.” This comedy-drama stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaugh.
Is Queenpins based on a real story?
The storyline is not just limited to far-fetched plots and humor. It connects ties with the reality of people’s lives. This movie is loosely based on an original coupon scam that happened in Arizona. The women that the Queenpins is actually based on are Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko ‘Amy’ Fountain.
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The trio that unfolded this coupon scam turned a $1 coupon into $50 worth of free dog food. The ringleader of the group Robin Ramirez was arrested at the age of 40. Her companions Johnson and Fountain were 54 and 42, respectively. The million-dollar scam caught the attention of Sgt. David Lake, an officer from the Phoenix Police Department. The women were poor before they started this scam; however, they were living a luxurious life by the end. Along with that, the scam also made its way onto the CBS series Pink Collar Crimes.
The victims of this scam later revealed that they wondered if these deals were too good to be true. However, they did not want to question this amount of money. Johnson was responsible for packing and shipping the orders, and Fountain added holograms to the coupons to make their appearance more realistic and legitimate. Moreover, they sold these coupons on eBay and on their website, SavvyShopperSite.
Conclusion
The movie gives the ending a quirky touch, which is completely different from reality and the hardships that these women had to go through due to the hefty fine imposed on them along with the imprisonment. Connie, who is in prison for her couponing scam, turns into such a villain for the victims in the story that she starts relocating her scam out of the United States too. However, the investigation by P&G led the three mischievous masterminds to prison.
