You’ve seen the movie about video game rights (Tetris), and you’ve watched the film about the development of a sports shoe (Air), now marvel at the moving picture about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos! No, I’m not making this up, new to streaming from today is Flamin’ Hot – a movie about the creation of a spicy snack flavour.
Based on Richard Montañez’s memoir, A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie, Flamin’ Hot stars Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, and Tony Shalhoub. The film is directed by Eva Longoria, and is a comedy-drama which tells the real-life story of Richard Montañez and his transformation from janitor to hugely successful businessman.
In the movie, it’s the 1980s and Richard Montañez has had troubles with the law since as far back as he can remember, but after making the decision to settle down and start a family, he’s determined to go straight. However, despite his best efforts, he encounters racism and intolerance at every turn, as well as a lack of employment opportunities, and he’s finding it difficult to make ends meet.
Close to returning to criminal ways, Richard tries one last time and manages to convince the manager at snack manufacturer, Frito-Lay, to give him a job as a janitor. He then works hard to prove he is more than capable of doing the job, while trying to figure out how to move his way up the ladder to earn more money.
After making friends with the chief engineer, Richard hopes to progress through the company very quickly, but over time he finds himself stuck in a rut and not moving forward. But when times get tough at Frito-Lay, due to economic downturn, he knows he has to start thinking outside of the box rather swiftly, before he loses his job due to redundancy.
This leads Richard to come up with the idea of a new snack, that brings some Mexican flavour to Frito-Lay. If he can convince his bosses to try out his idea, he believes it could be a huge money-spinner that will secure everyone’s job.
The only problem is, he’ll need to convince the top brass to listen to his idea. But who will listen to Richard, when they only see him as a janitor?
While it’s long been said that Hollywood has run out of ideas, and will throw anything at the screen in the hopes that something will stick, the recent trend of making movies about the creation of products has proved rather fruitful. Tetris was good, Air was equally as enjoyable, and I’m pleased to say Flamin’ Hot is more of the same.
I never thought I would be praising a movie about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but hey, stranger things happen. And it’s not just because I’m a Cheetos fan myself – this is a great little movie.
It’s fun, inspirational, and very easy viewing. There’s a cheerful vibe about Flamin’ Hot, and one which captures the spark of creativity that often comes during difficult times.
As with its peers, Flamin’ Hot works as well as it does because at its core this is a story about the human spirit. It is a film about overcoming tough times, to see brighter days ahead, and having confidence and self-belief when others cast doubt in your direction.
The movie may be about a snack, like Tetris is about a game, and Air is about a shoe, but in reality, the product plays only a small part in the story. The beating heart of Flamin’ Hot is people, ideas, and determination, all centred around a struggling family, which everyone can relate to.
Leading the movie is Jesse Garcia as the affable Richard Montañez. He plays the everyman role note-perfect, and offers audiences an easy way into the story.
Garcia is then backed up by strong support from Annie Gonzalez as Richard’s wife Judy, Dennis Haysbert as maintenance friend Clarence Baker, and Tony Shalhoub as PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico. All the actors add something to the story and keep things interesting.
Every actor in the movie is under the watchful eye of director, Eva Longoria. Longoria – who many will know from her stint on Desperate Housewives – has previously directed episodes of hit television shows, including Jane the Virgin and Black-ish, but Flamin’ Hot marks her feature film directorial debut.
This is a strong debut from Longoria and one which shows lots of promise for the future. Sure, Flamin’ Hot may not take many huge creative leaps, but this is a solid picture, filled with plenty of heart, and one which moves its pieces around in the right order to tell a feel-good story.
The summer is heating up, it’s a time for relaxation with friends (and plenty of snacks), and for watching movies that show us all why we work so damn hard in the first place. With times becoming increasingly tough, and too many people out there trying to create divisions, Flamin’ Hot is a neat little reminder that even the little guy has an important voice to be heard.
If you’re looking for something to brighten up your weekend, when you’re cooling off from the sun, then Flamin’ Hot is one to check out. The film is now available to stream on Hulu in the US, or Disney+ everywhere else.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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