Feel-Good Flick ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Elevates Family And Faith

On Friday, inspirational and controversial film “Flamin’ Hot” debuts worldwide on Hulu and Disney Plus, purportedly telling how Flamin’ Hot Cheetos came to be as it recounts the rise of Hispanic family man Richard Montañez from janitor to marketing executive at Frito-Lay. 

The fast-paced and charming story, from a script by longtime screenwriter Lewis Colick (“October Sky”) and Linda Yvette Chávez (“Gentefied’), comes via faith-film producer DeVon Franklin (“The Star”) and Latina first-time director Eva Longoria.

The movie’s biggest issue is that — similar to past feel-good family flicks such as “Cool Runnings“ and “The Greatest Showman” — key aspects of “Flamin’ Hot” conflict with the factual record. That’s according to a lengthy Los Angeles Times investigative exposé published in 2021.

A Spicy Blend of Fact and Fiction

Filmed in New Mexico, this inspirational dramedy has a larger scope than a typical direct-to-streaming feature — with 44 principal cast members, 875 extras in several scenes, and a narrative depicted over several decades.

Viewers are introduced to Richard as a boy in the 1960s, one of 10 siblings who grew up in a migrant labor camp in the small town of Guasti, near Ontario, California.

During his teen years, in an economically distressed community, Richard got involved in a street gang that sold drugs. Later, following his marriage to girlfriend Judy, the birth of their first child is depicted as a turning point, giving Montañez new drive to make a better life for his family. 

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