Flamin’ Hot
★★★ 1/2
I can be a cynical person, but sometimes you just need a feel-good movie in your life. Do I think that Flamin' Hot is an accurate representation of how Richard Montañez, a janitor at Fritos Lay, disrupted the snack industry by introducing Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to the market? Probably not, but director Eva Longoria steps behind the camera to deliver an inspiring story that knows how to strike the perfect tone to tell this story. Longoria is able to pull out amazing lead performances from Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez, who showcase a wonderful mixture of humor, faith, family and love. Flamin' Hot also gives voice to the Mexican American culture with this story and hopefully broadens some people's perspective of how this nation is made up.
I'll be honest, I didn't know that Flamin' Hot Cheetos revolutionized how we eat snacks the way this film says it did, but the spirit of this tale is infectious. I'm really excited to see where Garcia and Gonzalez go with their careers because they are tremendously dynamic and this movie wouldn't have been nearly as good without them. Also, Longoria pulls off something that I didn't think was possible in today's times, and actually makes us root for a corporation. I sure didn't see that one coming.
