Flamin' Hot (2023)

We watched this because it was nominated in the category of Original Song, and in the past movies nominated only in this category have been much more light-hearted and fun than other big time, multiple category nominees and as we get deep into what is usually our three months of watching serious and high quality films, it is nice to have a bit of a break, and this movie provided that. This is the origin story of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, which might veer slightly off the straight and narrow of the facts in order to provide a better story. It follows sometimes unreliable narrator and main character Richard Montañez from a rough, impoverished childhood, a mistake-filled adolescence, to an adulthood with some regrets. In the 1980s, he’s a desperate man looking for a second chance to provide for his family. He catches a break with the help of his adoring wife, Judy, and lands a job on the janitorial staff of a Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga. Not only does Richard work hard, but he also pays close attention to the machines and what all goes in to producing the products. Over time, he learns how they work with the help of a reluctant mentor, Clarence C. Baker, and he has higher ambitions for both of them. He gets to thinking about how Frito Lay might make a product Richard’s hard work and tenacity lead him to invent a new spicy blend of snacks based on the flavors of his childhood. He then jumps the corporate ladder to pitch it to Frito Lay’s parent company president, Roger Enrico and the rest is his tasty history. The thing that was least believable for me was that Frito Lay acknowledged his intellectual property and idea and rewarded him for it. The song is good but not my first or second choice in that category.