As somebody who worked six years in the marketing wing of a large corporation, I can assure you that the marketing portion of this film is almost painfully spot-on. The only part where I see potential failure is where the peon actually gets credit for his invention. I think most corporate slugs will recognize the rarity of that event … oh, they’ll milk your ideas for hours, but only a series of consecutive independent wins will move you up the ladder by itself; you’re much better off “succeeding” by playing the game.
And yet, of course, that is the point of Flamin’ Hot: what if you belong to a group of people (say “Hispanics” or “janitors,” take your pick, our hero is both) that will not move up the ladder without divine revelation and a huge stock price increase? What are you supposed to do if you have the skill set, but not the pathway?
Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) was just another [fill in your favorite derogatory term for “Mexican” here]. Growing up Mexican in an all-white elementary school, Richard (aka “Ricardo”) encountered bullying and racism on a daily basis … until he turned it around by selling burritos to the other kids. Then he gets busted -as a child- when nobody believes he didn’t steal the burrito money.
This is where lives are destroyed. This is the very moment. It happens every day; it happens far more frequently per capita to minorities, and few recover. Richard was not among the few. He dropped out of school, joined a
gang, committed to crime, and never got his GED. Years later, he has a wife, kids, a mortgage, and no recognizable job skills. Judy (Annie Gonzalez) is carrying their water with her lucrative minimum wage job. Richard wants to go straight, but who will hire? After dogged pursuit, Frito-Lay answers the call; Richard can be a floor janitor.
Where he stays for the next ten years.
Talk about makin’ it!
And we’re now in the 1980s. Contrary to Republican dogma, Reaganomics was actually a load of crap, especially if you didn’t make six figures. And the number of SoCal Latinos with six-figure jobs in the 1980s, well, suffice to say one could probably count them … on Sesame Street … en Español, por favor.
Well, gosh, I don’t want to give away the whole film, but Flamin’ Hot really is one of the great feel-good stories of 2023. If you can get past Richard’s ethnic lifestyle (not that you should need to) and his ridiculous fu manchu, there is a ton of heart in this film. A ton of ethnic heart, fueled by Cholo translations and five-year-old guinea pigs and ingredients that come out of the ground. This isn’t a perfect film by any means. Flamin’ Hot is very paint-by-numbers and omits a key detail or two from the story of the real Richard Montañez. However, Eva Longoria nails it. I wouldn’t have guessed that of Eva – don’t underestimate Latinas, Jim. This is a film that asks if you believe in the American Dream … and, if so, do you believe it applies to everybody? If your answers are “yes” to both questions, I find it difficult not to enjoy Flamin’ Hot.
There once was a Frito-Lay flunkee
Just another underemployed monkey
His skill set? Deceptive
His tenacity? Receptive
Years later he found his wallet quite chunky
Rated PG-13, 99 Minutes
Director: Eva Longoria
Writer: Lewis Colick, Linda Yvette Chávez, Richard Montañez
Genre: Lose the bland stuff, grandpa
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Underappreciated Latin X
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Corporate bullies
