‘Flamin’ Hot’ Movie Review: An Entertaining, Yet Factually Flippant Rags-To-Riches Tale
Photo from Searchlight Pictures
From Joe Peltzer
An energetic and uplifting rags-to-riches tale of a Mexican-American, Eva Longoria’s Flamin’ Hot is a solidly entertaining biopic with authentic performances, even as the veracity of the “true” story continues to be called into question.
As the story goes, Richard Montañez (played here by Jesse Garcia) was a janitor for Frito-Lay and, inspired by the CEO Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub) to think outside the box in order to propel business, came up with the idea for Uber-popular Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Garcia is an endearing and charismatic lead portraying an underdog who you quickly find yourself rooting for. There is a drive for success amidst a recession and social economic class structure that fuels Montañez and the film, which dives into the rarely explored history of Latinos in the United States through bona fide voices. Gonzalez herself is particularly sensational as Judy is depicted as Richard’s biggest supporter and cheerleader; Gonzalez’s delivery of impactful lines is stinging and memorable. With Longoria’s inspired direction and eye for detail, along with the recognition of the product, Flamin’ Hot should appeal to the masses.
The film’s biggest fault is born out of an initial strength, however, in that the jovial and fun nature waters down the overall impact of the story. Narration by Garcia’s Richard often accompanies goofy depictions of how scenes played out (such as boardroom conversations) before turning to the “truth.” Interactions with company management, particularly Matt Walsh’s plant manager, are stereotypically choreographed. Think the style of The Goldbergs when it comes to retelling history.
Then there is the issue of whether or not this really happened. According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, Frito-Lay has no record of Montañez being involved with he product’s development. While it is true that he went on to be a successful businessman and a part of marketing successes, the film’s events as depicted may lean more fictional that fact.
All of that said, this should not take away from the fact that this is a solid film, most importantly one that tells a story of people often left out of film and television. Representation matters and, for that, Flamin’ Hot at least gets that right.
Flamin’ Hot hits Hulu and Disney+ on June 9th, 2023.
Rating: 3/5
