Flamin' Hot

Flamin' Hot is a 2023 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Eva Longoria in her feature-length directorial debut. Written by Linda Yvette Chávez and Lewis Colick, it is based on the memoir A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive by Richard Montañez, who claims to have invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The film stars Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, and Tony Shalhoub. Flamin' Hot had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2023. It was released on June 9, 2023, by Hulu and Disney+ to mixed reviews from critics. Plot In 1966 southern California, Richard Montañez grows up as a hard working child with a strict father and supportive grandfather. He meets his future wife Judy in school where he begins selling burritos to other children. He is arrested at a young age when nobody believes that he earned his money honestly. As adults, Richard and Judy marry but live as hoodlums in a gang, hustling to survive. They make an effort to turn their lives around once Judy gets pregnant with their first child. A second child later, Richard and his family still struggle to make ends meet as Richard searches for honest work. He eventually turns to his friend, former hoodlum Tony Romero, who helps him get a job at Frito-Lay. Despite lying on his resumé, floor head Lonny Mason hires him. Richard begins paying attention to all the nuances of the factory and starts pursuing engineer maintenance leader Clarence C. Baker to teach him about the machines. Despite some reluctance, Baker agrees and teaches Richard how to operate all the machinery in the factory. Unfortunately, the Reagan administration begins to severely affect low-paying jobs and Frito-Lay's stocks begin to go down. This eventually results in some of the workers getting laid off. Frito-Lay CEO Roger Enrico releases a video encouraging the workers to "think like a CEO" which inspires Richard.