It’s a love story as much as it’s a fairy tale about a man’s refusal to give up and a woman’s faith in him. Eva Longoria is Latina herself, so she knows what racism feels like in white-dominated America. For her first film as director, she chooses the inspiring success story of an ordinary Latino man—Richard Montanez, who created the Flamin’ Hot flavour for Frito-Lay Chips and Cheetos, based on his book, A Boy, A Burrito, A Cookie: From Janitor To Executive.
Son of Mexican immigrant farm workers, Richard (Jesse Garcia) grew up facing brutal racism and a lack of proper education or opportunity. Mexican men took to crime, mostly because they were treated like criminals. The jobs they had access to were menial—janitor, maid, gardener, waiter. Richard showed a spirit of enterprise even as a child, but was never given a decent break in life. When his childhood sweetheart Judy (Annie Gonzalez) got pregnant, Richard gave up hanging out with a criminal gang, and with some difficulty got a job as a janitor in the Frito-Lay factory at Rancho Cucamonga.
He learns right away that there is a race-based pecking order, and as a Mexican janitor, he is at the very bottom. Still, he is cheerfully determined to be the best janitor possible, while also befriending the plant’s only Black engineer, the “self-made” Clarence (Dennis Haysbert), and learning how the product is made. But for the colour of his skin, Clarence would have been in a higher managerial position, but he accepts his fate with stoicism.
In the Reagan era, some anti-poor policies are made, Richard and his family barely keep their heads above water, and many workers lose their jobs. When sales drop and their factory is in danger of shutting down, Richard breaks protocol by directly contacting the CEO Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub), with his idea of products with chili seasoning that would appeal to the taste buds of the burgeoning Hispanic community in the US. An Italian immigrant himself, Roger does not reject or reprimand Richard as a white boss might have, and offers him a chance to prove the worth of his idea.
Not adequately educated and totally ignorant of marketing pitches, he still impresses Roger, and his Flamin’ Hot products hit the shelves. After an initial struggle with jealous Frito-Lay executives who try to sabotage his invention, the flavour goes on to become a huge success, and Richard finally gets his rightful place in the company’s hierarchy as head of multicultural marketing, where he stayed for 42 years and turned Flamin’ Hot into a billion-dollar brand. Judy always stayed by his side and helped fulfill his dreams for their family of three children. The youngest is sees as the cute product tester; when he declares that a chip “burns in a good way,” the father knows he has hit the right proportion of spice.
Written by Lewis Colick and Linda Yvette Chavez, Flamin’ Hot is an engaging underdog-to-winner drama, directed by Eve Longoria with wit and warmth. She wisely cast actors who fitted their parts, instead of slim, smooth-skinned Mexicans, and it makes a difference to the film. Also, in spite of talking of racial discrimination, the tone of the film is not bitter—she wants to say that nothing can stand in the way of a person with gumption and never-say-die spirit. Richard Montanez is a fine example of that. So is Eva Longoria.
Flamin’ Hot
Directed by Eva Longoria
Cast: Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub and others
On Disney+Hotstar
