Flamin' Hot | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

Is Clarence from Flamin Hot real? ›

Clarence Baker, played by Dennis Haysbert, was based on a co-worker Montañez had at the plant. He died several years before production of the movie and a different name was used for the character.

How accurate is the Flamin' Hot movie? Truthfully? The film is accurate to Montañez's retelling, but probably not very accurate at all to how Flamin' Hot Cheetos specifically came to the market.

According to the article, however, Montañez did in fact rise from a floor-level position to a marketing executive at Frito-Lay, and he was involved in pitching new products such as Flamin' Hot Popcorn while still a machine operator in 1993 followed by two types of Fritos — Flamin' Hot and Lime and Chile Corn Chips.

A former janitor claimed he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos more than 30 years ago after a factory machine broke down and he took home an unflavored batch of the knobby sticks of puffed corn, sprinkling them with bright red chili powder. Frito-Lay, the snack company that makes Cheetos, said he had nothing to do with it.

Richard Montañez is often credited as the Frito-Lay janitor that came up with the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Born to a family of Mexican immigrants, Montañez climbed the corporate ladder to become a VP at PepsiCo. Searchlight's new movie "Flamin' Hot" tells the story of how Montañez left his mark on Cheeto history.

Midway through Flamin' Hot—Eva Longoria's feature directorial debut—two brothers, Lucky (Hunter Jones) and Steven (Brice Gonzalez) get off the school bus. Lucky is upset: He was beaten up and bullied for being Mexican. “Let's just go home,” Lucky tells his dad, Richard (Jesse Garcia).

For one, Montañez, who's now in his 60s, often recounts the story of how he cold-called the PepsiCo chief executive to pitch his idea after watching a motivational video Enrico had recorded as part of a campaign encouraging Frito-Lay employees to “act like owners.”

The part that Flamin' Hot gets right is the fact that Montañez did call Enrico, and the latter's secretary at the time confirms that he did. However, the phone call didn't occur until 1992 at the latest, which was well after Flamin' Hot Cheetos were being sold and Enrico was established at the company.

Although we don't know his exact salary at PepsiCo, Richard Montañez net worth is estimated to be around $15 million.

Richard Montañez was born into a family of Mexican immigrants in Guasti, California. Growing up in a one-bedroom apartment with 10 siblings, he faced poverty and discrimination from a young age. Despite these challenges, his mother's homemade burritos taught him the value of being different.

Who invented Cheetos? ›

Cheetos (formerly styled as Chee-tos until 1998) is a crunchy corn-cheese puff snack brand made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the United States.

Scoville Rating of Xxtra Flamin' Hot Cheetos

However, based on the ingredients listed on the packaging and some research, unnamed "experts" have estimated that Xxtra Flamin' Hot Cheetos could have a Scoville rating of around 50,000 SHU. This places them at a similar heat level to cayenne pepper.

Frito-Lay, Inc.

(/ˈfriːtoʊ leɪ/) is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods.

Sadly, Clarence C. Baker's real-life counterpart is no longer alive. When confirming that he was based on a real engineer, Searchlight Pictures also confirmed that the engineer died a few years ago. This is a sad end to the story of Clarence C.

The Hot Cheeto Girl is a stereotype that has historically been used to make fun of high school girls who are hyper-feminine, working-class, either Black or Latina (or both), and have a taste for spicy chips like Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

His name is Richard Montañez and he actually got away with it. He made a story up that the CEO of Frito Lay sent out a message to everybody saying, "Behave like you're an owner." This guy was a lowly janitor at the time but he took the CEO's message to heart.

Thanks to a fan petition, Lay's is now bringing back its original Flamin' Hot chips. The Frito-Lay brand changed the formula for the flavor and was met with great displeasure from those that loved the flavor. Fans that tried the new formula voiced that the chip tasted more like “Spiced Lime.”

For years, Richard Montañez's claims have been lauded as a rags-to-riches feel-good tale, and, thanks to Texan Eva Longoria, was even turned into a film last year called Flamin' Hot. According to Montañez's memoir, he and his wife created the bright red spice blend as a way to appeal to Hispanic consumers.