Year of Release: 2021
Director: Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly
Starring: Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Vince Vaughn, Bebe Rexha, Joel McHale, Lidia Porto, Greta Oglesby, Dayo Okeniyi, Ben Sidell, Tricia Fukuhara, Robert Riechel Jr., Annie Mumolo, Stephen Root, Marc Evan Jackson, Nick Cassavettes, Jack McBrayer, Farley Jackson, Stephen McFarlane
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Netflix
Synopsis and Review
"Queenpins" is based on a true story, one that has been the target of a documentary called "The Queen of Coupons" exhibited on CBS in 2018. The narrative focuses on the story of Connie Kaminski, a former Olympic racewalker, now living in Phoenix. Connie's marriage to Rick, an IRS audit specialist is fraught with tension, as their attempts at conceiving a child have been met with considerable challenges. Her best friend is Jojo, a neighbor who has had to move back with her mom, as her identity was stolen, and she now tries to making a living by creating Youtube video content. Connie has devoted some attention to coupons, and starts noticing how much she can save but also profit from these. She decides to propose a business deal/partnership to Jojo, and they both go to Mexico where they set up an arrangement with a few workers from the factory where the coupons are printed, where they collect the unused coupons directly from its source. They create a business and a website, "Savvy Super Saver", and start selling those coupons online, while Jojo promotes them on her Youtube channel. Their business starts booming, while this sudden influx of coupons raises the attention of Ken Miller, a loss prevention officer for the A&G Family Marts stores. He decides to further investigate the case and reports it to the authorities. However Connie and Jojo have already resorted to Tempe Tina, a resourceful hacker, to teach them how to make their business look legit.
"Queenpins" is a an interesting film, one that while not passing judgment on its characters, it also positions them as quasi modern Robin Hood (of sorts). The narrative emphasizes their resourcefulness, and simultaneously their apparent obliviousness to their dealings, even as they have to figure out how to "legitimize" the income they're generating (that should probably be a hint that they were doing something wrong then). The directing team tries very hard to portray both central characters as every day people, who were just ingenious, neglected and forgotten, and that the business turns out to be their version of the American Dream, of seizing an opportunity and running with it. And their counterbalance is provide by Ken Miller, the frumpy loss prevention officer (who by the way has a great scene, now a regurgitated meme, on a flight interacting with an entitled duo of mother/daughter), who is only trying to do is job, and comes across as the wet blanket. For a film that tries to be a witty and comedic take on these different paths of life, there's a rather fierce Robin Hood slant that comes across as both Connie and Jojo are portrayed, though the film never truly dives deeper into who these characters actually are. Neither Connie nor Jojo are more than a former Olympian who tried to have a child, and someone trying to make a buck out of Youtube. Ken Miller turns out to have a more interesting journey on the film, one that is peppered with some awkward episodes. But his presence, alongside his relationship with Simon Kilmurry, the actual law enforcement professional, is where the comedic gold actually lies. Sadly that is a part of the film that never gets much development. Overall it's a film that has a rich topic, but fails to capture much in all the characters that are illustrated, opting for a massively generic approach on all of them, which ultimately renders the film a bit forgettable. The cast tries their best at bringing these characters to life, with highlights going to the fantastic Paul Walter Hauser, Nick Cassavettes in a small cameo, while Kristen Bell is a bit underused, in a role that is persistently bland. The production team is also unmemorable overall. It's watchable, but also immediately forgettable.
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