“Queenpins,” a comedy film starring Kristen Bell, is currently the third most-watched movie of the week (Jan. 25th) on Netflix in the US, according to FlixPatrol. The film, which arrived this month on the platform, is only behind the sports drama “The Hill,” and the fantasy film “The Legend of Tarzan.”
Written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, the movie also stars Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, Joel McHale, and Vince Vaughn. On the other hand, Ben Stiller also executive produced the project under his Red Hour Productions banner.
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While the film is resonating with audiences on the platform, at the time of its release in 2021, it bombed at the box office. It barely grossed $1.2 million against a budget of $6.7 million. It also received mixed reviews from critics, who thought that the talented cast couldn’t quite save the film.
What is ‘Queenpins’ about?
The film follows a frustrated housewife (Bell) who, along with her best friend (Kirby), invent an illegal coupon-club scheme that scams millions from corporations. A determined U.S. postal inspector and a loss-prevention officer are trying to bring them down.
Is ‘Queenpins’ based on a true story?
Yes, the movie is based on a real-life case in which three women, Robin Ramirez, Amiko (Amy) Fountain, and Marilyn Johnson were arrested by the Phoenix Police in 2012 after they sold fake coupons made overseas and reproduced legitimate ones, according to ABC News.
As per Forbes, authorities seized $40 million in fake coupons, along with $2 million in additional assets such as firearms, cash, vehicles, a speedboat, and more. The trio of women faced various charges, including fraud, forgery, counterfeiting, and running a criminal enterprise.
In 2013, Ramirez went to trial, while Fountain and Johnson opted to testify against her. Ramirez received a two-year prison sentence and seven years of probation. Additionally, all three were obligated to pay $1.2 million in restitution to Proctor and Gamble.
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Pullapilly told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2021 that to write the story, they talked to the detective in Phoenix that uncovered the case to understand “the real case and what had happened and the mechanics of what they did and what they did when they made all of this money from selling counterfeit coupons,” she said.
