Review of 'Flamin' Hot'

In 1960s California Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) is struggling to support his family. Setting aside his former life as a gang member he lands a job as a janitor at the local Frito Lay factory and with his interest in mechanics he befriends engineer maintenance leader Clarence C. Baker (Dennis Haysbert) who mentors him during off hours on the factory machinery. Unfortunately, a poor economic environment results in many from the plant being laid off though Richard is kept on with his strong work ethic. After seeing a video by Frito Lay CEO Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub), Richard takes inspiration in “thinking like a CEO” comes up with an idea for a new flavour of Cheetos that he feels would appeal to the Latino market - “Flamin' Hot”. He faces an uphill struggle to get his idea heard but when he finds the phone number of the CEO he decides to give him a call…

Supposedly based on a true story, Frito Lay has disputed the details of this feel-good inspirational film though Montañez work at Frito Lay they do not dispute (and his eventual position in the company). It is still a load of fun to watch with it's good-natured humour tinged with pathos though light on the prejudice many in the Latino community no doubt face. The occasional digressions into out-right fantasy including musical sequences break up what is a fairly straightforward story resulting in the viewer falling into the trap of believing they are real until the penny drops. The high level of energy of Montañez keeps the pace of the film moving though it is quite heavy in the saccharine element - Still, it is hard not to like with the story of an underdog who manages to fight against the odds and achieve success.

Jesse Garcia is amazing with his portrayal of an innocent, everyday man with a compelling drive to support his family with the support of his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez) and their children. There is a side story involving his father Vacho Montañez (Emilio Rivera) who deep down does not support his son and needs a LOT of convincing. In the non-fantasy elements of the film there is an effort to achieve a gritty personal reality perhaps, save for the unbelievably clean factory floor of Frito Lay…and the rather tame portrayal of prejudice of the day and gang violence of the city streets

An inspirational and fun film loosely based on true events of a man struggling against all odds to succeed. I really found it a surprisingly fun and moving film…

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2026-03-08

Directed by: Eva Longoria

Studio: Franklin Entertainment

Year: 2023

Length: 99 minutes

Genre: Comedy

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8105234/