Karina Raimont

“Flaming Hot” on Disney+ tells the story of Richard Montanez, a Mexican man who started out as a janitor for the Frito-Lay company, and created the flaming hot Cheetos. Representation matters, and we need to support these movies. Eva Longoria’s directorial debut is great. She gives the movie heart and laughter. There is an emphasis on the struggles of brown people and most of the White characters the protagonist encounter at the beginning of the story are depicted as racists and profilers who look down on Mexicans, but the story is based on real events, so we have to believe his experiences are true, plus the movie starts in 1966 and goes through the 1990s. The movie develops the characters and their relationships well before diving into how flaming Cheetos were conceived. It doesn’t shy away from showing the reasons why some people get into gangs. Overall, the movie’s message is that hard work and initiative will get you ahead. You will laugh, cry and be inspired. It’s a good time the whole family. As a Hispanic non-Mexican viewer, I appreciate the representation of my culture with characters that are not hoodlums, gangsters, or gang members.