Flamin’ Hot
One man gets a taste of the American Dream in this savory comedy
Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez spice up American snack food in Eva Longoria's Flamin' Hot.
Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) wants to make a name for himself. Growing up in a labor camp in Southern California, he learned quickly that the American Dream was not for people who look like him. He falls into a life of crime after every other opportunity dries up around him.
But when his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez) becomes pregnant, Richard decides it’s time to get a real job. Unfortunately, “real jobs” aren’t readily available for Mexican-American men without a high school diploma and boasting a criminal record. But with some hutzpah and a few lies, Richard manages to get a job as a janitor in a Frito-Lay factory.
He’s not content mopping cheese dust, however. Richard wants to move up. When the company hits hard times, and factories across the country begin to close, Richard gets a radical idea: redesign Frito-Lay products for a Hispanic palate. His spice combination brings forth one of the most popular products in Frito-Lay history: Flamin’ Hot flavor.
Think of this movie as Air for people who like snacks more than basketball.
First, let’s address the controversy: Frito-Lay disputes Montañez’s story about the invention of Flamin’ Hot foods. Is Montañez lying? Is Frito-Lay?
As John Ford once told us: When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. While Frito-Lay disputes the origin of the Flamin’ Hot products, Montañez has stood behind his story of inventing it. What’s not disputed by Montañez and Frito-Lay is Montañez’s trajectory from floor worker to marketing executive that helped the company dominate the Hispanic/Latino market. Does it matter ultimately if Montañez’s claim is totally true? Surely if we’re all supposed to pretend that Steven Spielberg gave his high school bully an existential crisis through the powers of filmmaking, we can give this movie a little leeway with its Cinderella story.
Setting aside whether this movie is truth or legend, Flamin’ Hot is an amiable crowd-pleaser. Director Eva Longoria pulls out some impressive cinematic tricks to keep a fairly rote story entertaining. She plays with aspect ratio, infuses humor into unexpected places, and offers up some historical footage to set the scene. She keeps the movie humming along with real heart as well, examining Montañez’s abusive background and the strength of his relationship with Judy. There’s an especially sublime recurring joke that harkens to Michael Peña’s most famous sequences in Ant-Man.
As Montañez, Garcia is an indomitable force. Overcoming his background and the trauma of his upbringing leaves Montañez as an almost pathologically friendly and optimistic person. He’s so afraid of letting his family down that he can’t even entertain the idea that he’ll fail. And it’s this determination that eventually leads to his triumph.
Supporting Montañez is his wife Judy, who Gonzalez imbues with a deep understanding of her husband. She’s a woman who knows just how cruel and unkind the world is but chooses to nurture her husband’s dreams. They make a great team and keep your eyes out for the real Montañez family at a barbecue toward the end of the film.
The movie’s biggest downfall is the writing. The characters tend to stop the action to give speeches on discrimination and determination. After the third such speech, it feels like the movie is spelling things out for a small child. It feels condescending, which is a shame since the performances are winning and the direction is deft.
Overall, Flamin’ Hot is a light genial movie, that’s totally worth a look on Hulu. Grab a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (and a Flamin’ Hot Mountain Dew if you’re really sadistic) and enjoy a film that’s not unlike the snack it touts: tasty, easy to consume, and leaves you wanting more.
Verdict: Eva Longoria’s Cheeto origin story is a tasty and snack-sized bit of history.
Flamin’ Hot is rated PG-13 and will be available on Hulu and Disney+ June 9.
