'Flamin’ Hot' Review: Lighthearted Hot-Cheeto Origin Story Feels Too Much Like A Movie | SXSW
(L-R) Brice Gonzalez, Annie Gonzalez, Jesse Garcia and Hunter Jones in Flamin’ Hot. Photo by Emily Aragones. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. A snack that took the nation by storm and is a favorite on-the-go snack for my generation. When reading the SXSW lineup, I came across Flamin’ Hot and thought, “A movie about a snack I like, interesting.” And that’s essentially what it is, a movie about hot Cheetos, more so the person who claims to have invented them. Aside from the fact that we know how it ends, that the entire story may be fiction is certainly the hardest part of this film to get behind. The film is based on Richard Montañez’s book “A Boy, A Burrito and A Cookie: from Janitor to Executive,” the story of Montañez’s own experiences and the story of his journey of rising the ranks in FritoLay and becoming one of the most prominent marketers specializing in the Hispanic population.
(L-R) Jesse Garcia and Dennis Haysbert in Flamin’ Hot. Photo by Anna Kooris. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.
If there’s one thing that Flamin' Hot knows how to do, it’s to please crowds. The film relies heavily on the charisma of Montañez (Jesse Garcia)’s character to ease us through some of the weaker points of the film’s screenplay (written by Yvette Chávez and Lewis Colick) through charming voiceover work and a strong on-screen presence. It’s unfortunate, however, that the screenplay remains very surface-level and doesn’t aim to do more than tell this story with a single message. To sell this message, Flamin' utilizes a handful of pep talks and speeches, so many, in fact, that at times, it feels like you’re watching a recent season of The Flash. At times, the dialogue feels overdone and comes across in a manner that feels too much like it’s from a movie. This, coupled with the manufactured feel of the story itself, is the biggest turnoff of the film. However, there are a fair number of good things the script accomplishes by allowing the actors to shine and use the resources given to them by the film. Annie Gonzalez does this the best, being the clearest standout in the majority of her scenes, along with co-star Brice Gonzalez (of TikTok’s Enkyboys), who brings the movie’s easiest laughs.
There are multiple scenes and shots where Flamin' Hot thinks it’s being clever/witty but is just plainly predictable, even when ignoring the fact that we know where this story takes us. Eva Longoria does her best to counteract this through a strong directorial vision, clearly knowing what she’s doing, despite this being her first feature. That said, the film leans into nearly every biopic trope, including, but not limited to, a house losing power to highlight financial issues and factory-floor speeches, and a good-old-fashioned montage. Flamin' also makes the interesting creative decision of frequently using voiced-over “it went like this” scenes before showing the “true” playing out of events and one-too-many mind-fantasy sequences.
Eva Longoria on set of Flamin' Hot. Photo by Emily Aragones. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.
The story that Flamin' Hot tells is one worth telling, with a fair amount of valuable messages for all ages. It’s just unfortunate that the depth and sincerity we could’ve gotten are undermined by what can only be described as a “Hollywood movie.” Life is messy, and even when circumstantial opportunities are brought our way, we have to work for them, an idea that’s at the forefront of the film yet somehow feels undermined when all is said and done. Flamin' Hot is ultimately a good, sometimes funny watch, but is one that feels like it can be played in the background and revisited every few minutes without the viewer missing anything too important.
This review is based on the March 11 premiere of Flamin' Hot at the SXSW film festival. Flamin' Hot arrives on Hulu on June 9.
