Fun, feel-good biopic has language, drugs, mature themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
A Mexican American boy is arrested for having money on unwarranted suspicion he stole it. Archive footage shows police beating up protesting Latinos. An alcoholic father picks on his son and pushes him around. Kids are bullied at school and on the streets, and one comes home with a black eye. Men are involved in a tough-looking gang. A man imagines beating up a White man at work.
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The film is a corporate tale about Frito-Lay's spicy line of products. Other brands are seen or discussed, notably Pepsi-Co, Corn Flakes, the federal program SNAP, and NBC.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Adults drink alcohol and deal drugs. A scene shows them divvying up pills and putting them in bags. The main character's father was an abusive alcoholic who eventually got sober with the help of God -- he "traded gin and juice for Jesus juice."
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The main character is Mexican American. He is the subject of racism, bullying at school (he's called a "beaner"), and abuse and mistreatment by police in the 1960s and 1970s. "When the world treats you like a criminal, you become one," he says to preface his involvement in a gang, dealing drugs, and stealing a car. He says he has a "PhD" because he's "poor, hungry, and determined." He and his wife are insulted by a White woman when they apply for federal food assistance, and his son is beat up and yelled at by White people. He recalls Black and brown kids being treated differently by teachers at school when he was younger, and this motivates him as an adult to reach for what he wants. He tells his son that their heritage is a "superpower." Another character is overlooked for promotions because he's Black, despite being the best at his job. White people are generally depicted as racist or ignorant bullies, intent on holding onto their privilege.
Family sticks together and stands up for each other. Do your best, no matter what job you have. Treat people equally. Your heritage is something to be proud of, even if it makes you different from others. Life is about choices. Sometimes you have to take what you want. Institutional racism impacts generations. The film depicts a cycle of poverty that is hard to escape, showing how enticing criminal life can be for people with little capital and few opportunities.
Positive Role Models
some
Montañez and others in his community are stuck in a cycle of poverty, unable to find steady jobs or make ends meet. Some sell drugs to make money. When Montañez's wife, Judy, gets pregnant, he wants to get out of crime. He just needs an opportunity, and when he gets one, he makes the most of it, demonstrating perseverance. He is clever, charming, and motivated. An engineer supports his ideas at work. At home, Judy stands by him through thick and thin. Bosses and authority figures are largely portrayed as racist, oppressing or abusing Latino and Black people in this era. An Italian American CEO gives Montañez an opportunity.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Flamin' Hot is a biopic directed by Eva Longoria about Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), the man who says he created the spicy line of Frito-Lay snacks to celebrate his Mexican heritage and reach his community. Richard's experiences with poverty, abuse (by an alcoholic father), and systemic racism are shown; ultimately, none of them prevent him from becoming a legendary marketing executive and representative of his community. Along the way, he stumbles into crime -- selling drugs with gangs, stealing a car -- and starts a family with his longtime girlfriend. Scenes of racism and bullying could be emotional for some viewers. The main characters are treated terribly by White characters, and archive footage shows police abuse. There's kissing, and someone says a person could "sell condoms to a nun." Language includes "s--t," "ass," "damn," "hell," "pr--k," "wetback," "beaner," and untranslated Spanish slang and insults. The film shows how hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude can pay off. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Great positive messages for watchers who aren't triggered by mild adult issues
I loved the positive messages throughout especially how encouraging the wife was towards him & more importantly it spoke the the negative self talk that many of us carry from abuse/dysfunctional parental attachment. I could really relate to the conflict & complexity of the main characters father & him. My 12 year old daughter watched it with me & I didn't have to puase/ff "adult parts" there were thematic inferences but most were light & humorous. As many times as the lead character ran into obstacles, he kept pushing through with the support of his wife & some unlikely allies/coworkers. I wish it would've went into a bit more detail on how they tweaked his wives recipe so that perhaps I could recreate it & see which one I prefer. The only problem I ran into was there were quite a few Spanish/slang parts...my daughter couldn't keep up bc she doesn't understand Spanish & the subtitles were fast & she has dyslexia but that isn't so much the movies fault. I'm Mexican so I could understand & translated some parts for her but she lost interest. My 15 yo son didn't watch but he is fairly fluent in Spanish & would've been able to speed read the subtitles if needed. Overall great movie.. perfect to watch with family (unless you are sensitive to/censoring mild drug themes, gang/criminal themes &/or very mild domestic violence references. I grew up around that environment & found it to be extremely mild in movie. Plus it teaches our kids that they don't have to choose go down those risky paths (join gang, rob, sell narcotics,etc... & to always strive for more especially when you have a family that needs you around.
As a child, Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) played in the California orchards where his extended family worked as pickers when FLAMIN' HOT opens. "My playground was everyone else's labor camp," he recalls in a voiceover, as he begins to narrate the story of his rise to the executive suite. Montañez is mistreated by a racist society, joins then leaves a gang, starts a family with his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez), but still can't land a steady job without his high school diploma. Finally, he's given an opportunity as a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory. Eager to learn, he starts pestering engineer Clarence (Dennis Haysbert) to show him the ropes. Inspired by his own community's heritage and penchant for spicy foods, Richard comes up with the idea of catering some snack products to the Latino market. He dares to make a direct call to the company's CEO, Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub). And that's when his real climb begins.
This empowering biopic is driven by a brisk pace and a charismatic performance from star Garcia. That said, the film's insistence on idealizing its subject could leave some viewers unsatisfied. Flamin' Hot is predictable but entertaining in its rags-to-riches tale featuring a Latino lead with a big heart, big ideas, and little cultural or financial capital. There's some creative visual storytelling, like putting dates on packages and chips on the factory floor to show time passing, or having Garcia amusingly narrate executives' C-suite meetings using street slang as he imagines them bullying one another. Music, editing, and Garcia's spirited performance infuse the film with energy.
Garcia is the heart of this movie. He narrates the tale, splashing his monologues and dialogues with Spanish expressions and terms. He's charismatic in the role, as is the real Montañez, by all accounts. That resourcefulness and relentless charm are part of his legend, although the facts around Montañez's version of his role in Frito-Lay history have been publicly scrutinized. The film opts to gloss over this, with brief scenes mentioning the invention and use of a lab-manufactured spicy powder, and end credits continuing the celebration of the real Montañez's family, life, and career. That glossing over may or may not bother you. It doesn't make the film less entertaining in and of itself, and underestimating viewers' ability to grapple with grey areas hasn't seemed to pose a problem for much of contemporary Hollywood cinema.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes a biopic like Flamin' Hot different from films about fictional characters. How do you know from watching this movie that the story is based on real people?
If you research Montañez and Frito-Lay's flamin' hot line, you find this film's account, based on Montañez's autobiography, is disputed. Does that matter to you or change your experience or enjoyment of this movie? Why, or why not? Where could you go for more information?
How did Montañez demonstrate perseverance? What obstacles stood in his way?
What are some storytelling techniques that stood out to you while watching this film? For example, the use of voiceover, flashbacks, a fast pace and editing, or the music. How would you describe the tone of the movie or your own mood when you finished watching it?
MPAA explanation:
some strong language and brief drug material
Last updated:
April 24, 2024
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