COMMENTARY By Bel Hernandez
Sitting “al fresco” at the community screening of Eva Longoria’s directorial debut Flamin Hot (releasing June 9, 2023), at Los Ángeles cultural center La Plaza de Cultura Y Artes was such a beautiful experience!
Over 1000 men, women, and children, mostly Latino audience seeing themselves reflected on screen. It was an amazing thing to witness. As I looked around at the audience I saw grown men watching the screen with wonder. The ladies hooting and hollering when the female character took charge, while the children watched and giggled along. I turned to look back and saw a wave community collectively feeling what representation on screen feels and looks like, as they watch a Latino-themed, all-Latino cast film directed by Longoria and produced by the man that saw its potential Devon Franklin (Miracles from Heaven).
This inspiring true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), a Frito Lay janitor who disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon. He along with his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez) knew how our community loves to spice up any food with a little bit of “chile”. He saw an opportunity and took it. Back in the early 1990’s Montañez convinced the big bosses at Frito-Lay they were missing out on making money with the growing Latino consumer market. That caught their attention.
So when the company’s marketing failed to attract the Latino community, Montañez rallied his co-worker and friends, and family to help promote the new Flamin’ Hot Cheetos product to the people he knew would love it. He took matters into his own hands creating a grassroots marketing campaign to prove that our community buys when we are marketed to with intention.
As a film-going community, we now have an opportunity to prove our VIEWING POWER. We can choose to rally our friends and family to watch this film.
Garcia and Gonzalez turn in outstanding performances as the lead of the film, and the supporting cast is a combination of established actors that include Emilio Rivera (Mayan MC), Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Pepe Serna (Art is Life, Scarface) and Dennis Haysbert (Lucifer). Additionally, other cast members include Bobby Soto (The Tax Collector) and the charismatic Brice Gonzalez (Lopez vs. Lopez). At the end of the day, if we can really show that we support well-made films with talented Latino actors, there will definitely be more stories. Maybe next time it will be your story.
Just as Montañez did in real life, rallying his community to support Flamin Hot Cheetos, we as a film-going community, have an opportunity to rally our friends and family to watch this film on Hulu and/or Disney+ starting Jun 9. We have an opportunity to watch and enjoy this film and show our LATINO VIEWING POWER…and have a good time doing it.
When “community” comes together it is an unforgettable experience.