Flamin’ Hot tells the story of Richard Montañez, a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory who had a revolutionary idea that shot him to the top. The film is streaming on Hulu.
Story
Richard Montañez had a childhood filled with hardships much like any other immigrant trying to make it in America back then and he couldn’t escape the differential treatment people of his race would receive.
After spending many years getting into trouble and being involved in criminal activity, Richard is forced to turn things around for the sake of his growing family. He has a father who used to be physically abusive before finding God and remaining verbally abusive.
Through all this, his partner Judy stuck by his side and encouraged him to bet on himself. Richard eventually got a job at the Frito-Lay factory where he learned the ins and outs of the chip-making processes.
When business was down, Richard was inspired to create something new that would spark new life into the company and write his name down in history.
Performances
Jesse Garcia plays an entertaining protagonist in the film. He captures the “everyman” aspect of Richard and serves bundles of humor and emotion.
Annie Gonzalez supports him well as Judy despite a much more reduced role. The surrounding cast members chip in with their efforts admirably.
Positives
The humor within Richard’s narration of events is very silly and fun. Adding a little “flavor” to the story makes it all the more interesting than a paint-by-numbers journey from bottom to top.
The emotional scenes between Richard and his family are standouts of the film. These set pieces elevate a pretty normal film with their magnificent quality and ability to draw in the viewers.
Negatives
Richard’s claim of creating the ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos’ flavor has never been verified so even though this is a biographical account, it comes from an unreliable narrator and nowhere does it make a point to mention that fact.
The entire film is dipped in a vat of corporate synergy and pulling up one’s bootstraps and is effectively an endorsement for a very cynical, outdated aspect of life that is capitalism.
Verdict
Flamin’ Hot is a film that has an uneven balance of uplifting family love and cultural humor leading to a mostly middling film. There are certainly parts about it that make it a good choice to watch one time but in a period when biographies are a dime a dozen, Flamin’ Hot doesn’t really stand out.
Flamin' Hot
Director: Eva Longoria
Date Created: 2023-06-09 12:30
2.5
Also Read: Flamin’ Hot summary and ending explained