Queenpins is a comedy based on the bizarre yet true story of two friends who stumble on a coupon scheme, taking it to the next level by selling them - for millions of dollars. When a down on her luck woman and her best friend decide they need to be bad to finally make some money, they find themselves incredibly wealthy, and possibly in a heap of trouble they may not be able to get out of.
Connie (Kristen Bell) is a former Olympic gold medalist speed walker turned unhappy suburban homemaker. Smothered in debt from trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant through fertility treatments, she becomes estranged from her husband Rick (Joel McHale) who is not very supportive and goes on frequent business trips to try to build up their crushed finances, while getting some time away from her.
Connie reaches out to her best friend JoJo (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) who's trying to become a successful vlogger while living at her mom's house. When they complain to a big company about a bad box of cereal, the company gives them some free coupons, which inspires an idea that they could open a business to get more free coupons and then sell them to consumers.
While it seems like they've simply hit on a great business idea that they know might be slightly bad at heart, it's actually illegal. A loss prevention officer (Paul Walter Hauser) from a major grocery retailer notices that tons of counterfeit coupons have been turning up in stores. Hot on the trail of the counterfeiters, he teams up with a US Postal Inspector (Vince Vaughn) who is also searching for the same ladies regarding mail fraud.
With their newfound riches, Connie and JoJo begin to experience what it's like to be wealthy Queenpins. Unfortunately, their luck may run out as their ambition grows with their business. How long can their luck hold out for?
Co-written and co-directed by husband-and-wife duo Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly (Beneath the Harvest Sky), Queenpins is uneven at best, relying on solid performances from a talented cast to save its trite writing, contrived plot and lackluster ambition in character development. But because of the clear choice to focus on the laughs to be found in the insane plot of two besties making millions off coupons and perhaps an even more insane element of two wannabe detectives chasing after them, the film at least ends up coming together as a solid contender in the comedy genre.
The chemistry between the leading ladies is a lot of fun to watch, even during the silliest of moments. But the two side characters chasing after them, a postal agent investigating mail fraud and a loss prevention officer from a grocery store chain, often steal the show.
A throwback to comedies of yesteryear where as long as the movie was funny, the writing didn't matter, Queenpins makes up for its flaws with plenty of big, belly laughs from people who are a lot of fun to watch. Interesting, quirky characters make you question who the good guys and bad guys really are for about half a second. But despite its various shortcomings, the film is still a lot of fun to watch.