Queenpins 2021

A group of FBI agents dramatically bursts into the home of Connie Kaminski, but she soon realizes she’s jumped ahead in her story. With a voiceover narration, Connie takes us back nearly a year to her life before the chaos. At that time, she finds herself unemployed and adeptly cutting costs through coupons. Rick, her husband and an IRS agent portrayed by Joel McHale, remains unsupportive and constantly urges her to find a job, dismissing her at-home efforts as mere coupon hoarding. The couple’s journey to parenthood hits a snag, as Connie faces a miscarriage, and they find themselves buried in debt from their fertility treatments.

Connie’s closest ally is Joanna “JoJo” Johnson, whose life is overshadowed by the theft of her identity, leaving her struggling to find stable work. Instead, JoJo resorts to creating YouTube videos to bring in some cash, much to the amusement of the local mailman, Earl (Dayo Okeniyi), who harbors a crush on her.

After a particularly vexing day, Connie fires off a complaint to General Mills about stale Wheaties, which surprisingly earns her a coupon for a free box of cereal. Inspired, she dives headfirst into writing more letters of complaint, soon discovering that this can be a lucrative venture. Connie and JoJo hatch a plan to travel to Mexico, where they learn the coupons originate. Their goal? To collect these coupons and share them with other women in similar financial predicaments.

Meanwhile, in Carson City, Ken Miller (played by Paul Walter Hauser) monitors coupon fraud and is on duty to prevent losses for various retailers. Despite his serious demeanor, he faces loneliness back at home. As Connie and JoJo embark on their trip to Mexico, they enlist the aid of a local couple, Alejandro (Francisco Rodriguez) and Rosa (Ilia Paulino), who agree to trade unused coupons. This partnership gives rise to their new venture, “Savvy Super Saver,” which takes off and allows them to profit from their couponing quest. However, this success draws the attention of Ken, leading him to take a personal interest in their activities.

As the women navigate this new world of couponing, they encounter complications that require them to prove their business’s legitimacy. To tackle this, they connect with Tempe Tina (played by Bebe Rexha), the hacker responsible for stealing JoJo’s identity, hoping she can guide them through the mess they’ve created. Tina instructs them on maintaining discretion while their operation grows, advising them to use JoJo’s cosmetics brand, Back 2 Black, as a front.

After six months, the women believe they’ve safely stored their earnings, but facing the reality of having made some dubious financial moves, they feel the pressure. Unsure of how to clean their “dirty” money, they indulge in extravagant purchases like sports cars and revealing firearms. On the other side, Ken collaborates with Simon Kilmurry (played by Vince Vaughn) from the post office, discussing their pursuit of the women who are now getting increasingly reckless in their spending.

When JoJo introduces Connie to a fertility clinic for another chance at pregnancy, things become even more complicated. Instead of using Rick’s sample, Connie opts for an anonymous donor. As Ken and Simon gather more evidence against the women, their investigation tightens, leading them to ultimately pursue an arrest.

Captured by the law, Connie and JoJo find themselves in jail; however, while JoJo soon secures bail, Connie receives a visit only from Rick, who chastises her for her actions. Frustrated and feeling unsupported, she initiates divorce proceedings. Eventually, they are put on trial with JoJo sentenced to ten days in prison, and Connie facing eleven months.

In the end, much to Ken’s dismay, the corporations involved prefer to move past the case quietly. JoJo’s new romance with Earl leads her to relocate to Montenegro, where they can maintain their coupon-selling scheme with JoJo’s make-up business as a cover. On the other hand, despite her incarceration, Connie remains hopeful as she embraces her pregnancy and makes the most of her time behind bars.