Frito-Lay has some interesting stories about the origins of their snack chips. Doritos were “invented” at a restaurant in Disneyland in the 1960’s (look it up!) and years later, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were created by a janitor of which the movie, Flamin’ Hot is based. It’s a crazy story and all of it is true although it does seem that perhaps a little folklore was thrown in for good measure. The movie is based on Richard Montañez’s book, A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie, and Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive. Yes, that is the full title of the book. It would have also been the title of the movie, but it wouldn’t all fit on the movie poster.
Making a movie about the making of a snack food, doesn’t seem like it would work, but this film does because while the main subject is the history of this spicy snack food, the whole story is about a lot more.
Directed by former “Desperate Housewife”, Eva Longoria, Flamin’ Hot isn’t a perfect film, but it is a solid one. It’s a comedy with a lot of heart and colorful characters. In addition, it also shows a realistic portrayal of the racial tensions between the Hispanic and white communities at that time and in some cases, continues on today.
The story begins like this: The Mexican American Montañez family lived just outside of Los Angeles. His father Vacho (Emilio Rivera) was abusive and Richard was one of a small handful of Hispanic kids in his school. He was often teased for eating a cold bean burrito for this lunch. Richard would beg his mother to make him bologna sandwich for his school lunch, just like the other kids. She refused. At first it didn’t go well, but then Richard found a way to “market” his mother’s burritos. The sales helped him earn him a little pocket change to buy a gift for Judy, another Hispanic kid who he has a crush on. The kid was an entrepreneur and didn’t even know it.
Fast forward a few years. Richard married Judy when they were both very young. (Jesse Garcia plays an 18-year-old even though his was in his late 30’s when the movie was being filmed. It looks odd and actually took me out of the movie for a bit.) Richard had dropped out of school and took a job working as a laborer thinking that he could never become anything more. As the young couple struggle to pay their bills, Judy (Annie Gonzalez) alternates between being frustrated with her husband and encouraging him to do more with his life. This story is just as much about her as it is about him. She sees his potential. She lights a candle and prays for Richard often, but he doesn’t given God much of a chance.
By the time he lands his first job as a janitor at Frito-Lay, Richard thinks that he had really made it. Judy is so thrilled, she buys the name brand corn flakes at her grocery job to celebrate. But reality sets in pretty quickly. It turns out, the company isn’t a whole lot different from the playground. Even so, Richard is determined to work his way to the top just as the recession was starting to take hold of the country. A reluctant machinist (Dennis Haysbert) agrees to become Richard’s mentor.
One day Richards watches a video message given from PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub) about how Frito-Lay would be going through some tough times ahead and encourages all employee to “think like a CEO”; a message that Richard embraces. He begins thinking about ideas on how to save the company in the form of some extra spicy snacks that would appeal to the Hispanic community, but no matter who he talks to, keeps getting shut down. So, he recruits his wife and two sons to come up with a new recipe with mixed results.
If you like underdog stories, you’ll love Flamin’ Hot. It’s a very inspiring story. However, even at 98 minutes, it feels too long. The story is narrated by Richard explaining every little detail which makes the story drag on even further. The comedy film is also more humorous than hilarious, and that’s okay, but a few more laugh out loud moments would’ve been nice. However, on the flip side, the movie does a better job of exploring Richard’s relationships with his wife, his parents, his co-workers and even his God. At one point, Richard asks his wife to pray with him and she is caught completely off guard. It’s a nice moment.
It is a little sad that Flamin’ Hot has bypassed the movie theaters and debuts on both Disney+ and Hulu. There are a lot of people in this world who could benefit from watching this inspirational movie, but many of them will probably miss it. And I can’t help but think that the film’s marketing sends the wrong message about what this movie is really about. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know what I’m talking about it. A little boy is upset that the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos “burns” but then says that it’s all right because “it burns good.” It’s cute, but it’s easy to get the impression that this movie is nothing more than a wacky family comedy that Disney is known for, and it just isn’t. It’s a love story. It’s a reconciliation story. It’s a story about forgiveness. It’s a story about the power of family and believing in something bigger than yourself.
(Main Image: Searchlight Pictures)
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