Flamin' Hot

Did I love this movie ? Yes . I love a good underdog , I love chips , I love Mexican culture , I love Spanish , I love spicy food , I love a strong female character BUT!

Too many inaccuracies to make it work . If this had been all true - easy 9-10. Even following in his own story they took too many liberties and that bothers me . I know it is disputed and honestly I want to believe this guy that it is all legit - and maybe it is BUT prove it some way or at least make the timeline make sense in terms of documented events at the company .

Truth aside - it was funny , entertaining , happy and inspiring .

Worth the watch but still too mad about the fact check situation to give it a higher score .

Flamin' Hot is a 2023 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Eva Longoria, about a Frito Lay janitor named Richard Montañez, who came up with the idea for Flaming Hot Cheetos.

This year has definitely been the year for inspirational biopics such as Tetris, Air and Blackberry and now this latest story - Flaming Hot is captivating, funny and heart warming.

The movie tells us about Montañez's life, his determination to make something of himself, his love and support for his neighbourhood and his family and the struggles along the way he faced.

The story is fresh and enjoyable with just enough drama to pull the viewer in. The cast was well chosen and the acting was spot on.

Does the fact that the story is not entirely true takes away the enjoyment of the movie?

Not in my opinion.

Could we truly call it a Biographical movie if its based on lies?

I leave this question to you.

While the story presented in the movie may not be entirely true, it doesn't diminish the fact that it is an enjoyable film to watch. Frito-Lay, through a spokesperson, disputed Richard Montañez's claim and stated that he was not involved in creating the product line in question, according to an internal investigation. However, it is true that Montañez did rise from a floor-level position to a marketing executive at Frito-Lay and was involved in pitching new products, including Flamin' Hot Popcorn in 1994. Despite the lack of factual accuracy, screenwriter Lewis Colick mentioned that enough of the story was true. PepsiCo released a statement supporting Montañez's contributions and expressed their concern about the strain on their friendship with him and the Latino community due to the debunking of his story. Montañez retired from PepsiCo in March 2019 during an internal investigation. In the end, the movie offers outstanding acting, a compelling storyline (albeit fictional), and portrays Richard Montañez as the hero. The only mistake they made is telling us it is a true story. But the movie is fun to watch, therefore a 7/10. Watch or skip? Depends. If you like movies, yes. If it needs to be based on a true story to get you going, No.

On the basis of emotional sentiment this story checks the boxes by properly building up each sequence with just enough "hope" to maximize the most of its climax. There's a sense of relatability, not only in a product that is universally recognizable, but also in a character that we seem to know all too well in each of our own lives. The tone is light and though you receive a certain payoff toward the end, the reservation of critical moments throughout the rest of the film lingers as an aftertaste. We're entering the era of product films and whether the pieces for each story come from extraordinary roots or simply fall into place they all tend to feel the same. Jesse Garcia is an enjoyable screen presence who leads a unique Hulu project, and from what I've seen with his previous performances, he's only trending upward. I approached the film with a curiosity for an origin story that may or may not have been entirely dramatized, and walked away rooting for the aspirational spirit that is sometimes deeply embedded within each one of us.

Great little flick about one of the worlds most popular snack. Hot Cheetos popped up one day out of nowhere while I was in the 5th grade. They were everywhere and everyone was eating them. Leaving the familiar red stains everywhere unless you used the chop sticks but that was much later? Anyway, Eva Longoria did a great job making the movie flow. Keeping things light and entertaining. She did a great job with balancing the whole story with knowing when the scene had to be serious and when it could take those liberties to have some fun. Cast played well off of each other. Jesse García and Annie Gonzales were great together. Fun to see Tony Shalhoub, Dennis Haysbert, Matt Walsh, and Peter Diseth in this. Movie clocks in at 98 minutes but it really felt like not a single second was wasted. I did enjoy this flick with my very own bag of hot Cheetos cos why not? Good flick!