Richard Montañez did NOT invent this product and it's been debunked for a while, yet Montañez and director Eva Longoria doesn't allow facts to deter them from perpetuating this falsehood, wrapped in an upbeat can-do story. Montañez was a janitor at Frito-Lay, and he did become a director of marketing, with a knack for reaching overlooked and underserved Latino consumers. But according to a company statement backed up by the Times' reporting, plus a multitude of retired folks who worked with Montañez have all stated that "he was not involved in any capacity" in the development of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
The story of Montañez rising through the ranks to become the director of marketing was enough of a so-called "rags to riches" story on its own, (he had no formal education, was in and out of trouble as a kid, belonged to a street gang, sold drugs and came from an impoverished background) what's not to cheer for, but to continue to promote this fabrication when it's been debunked time and time again, ruins the entire film for me.
I love these types of stories as long as they're truthful and not overly embellished to the point of being highly improbable. "Flamin' Hot" never acknowledges any of the inaccuracies, it just blissfully goes along promoting the lie. However, Montañez did, according to the L. A. Times, play a major role in the development of the company's Sabrositas line, which included a lime and chili Frito, but that was in 1993, three years after the "Flamin' Hot" launch. This film is so myopic and obsessively committed to the underdog mythology that it's never really believable, and loses all of its credibility as the film plods along. "Flamin' Hot" plays like an ad/commercial for the product.
The running theme is reach for the stars, don't take no for an answer, and maybe one day you'll attain your dream and become a millionaire along the way. That's all well and good, yes things like that can happen. And though Eva Longoria's story is a nice, albeit an untruthful one, "Flamin' Hot" leaves you with nothing more than the orange Cheeto dust on the tips of your fingers.
The story of Montañez rising through the ranks to become the director of marketing was enough of a so-called "rags to riches" story on its own, (he had no formal education, was in and out of trouble as a kid, belonged to a street gang, sold drugs and came from an impoverished background) what's not to cheer for, but to continue to promote this fabrication when it's been debunked time and time again, ruins the entire film for me.
I love these types of stories as long as they're truthful and not overly embellished to the point of being highly improbable. "Flamin' Hot" never acknowledges any of the inaccuracies, it just blissfully goes along promoting the lie. However, Montañez did, according to the L. A. Times, play a major role in the development of the company's Sabrositas line, which included a lime and chili Frito, but that was in 1993, three years after the "Flamin' Hot" launch. This film is so myopic and obsessively committed to the underdog mythology that it's never really believable, and loses all of its credibility as the film plods along. "Flamin' Hot" plays like an ad/commercial for the product.
The running theme is reach for the stars, don't take no for an answer, and maybe one day you'll attain your dream and become a millionaire along the way. That's all well and good, yes things like that can happen. And though Eva Longoria's story is a nice, albeit an untruthful one, "Flamin' Hot" leaves you with nothing more than the orange Cheeto dust on the tips of your fingers.