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[flamenco music playing]
[narrator] Call a Mexican "spicy," and you're playing with fire.
But spicy?
Yeah. See, that's how I got here.
To this moment.
Me, the most uneducated, successful vato you'll ever meet.
I served up my pride on a silver platter more than once along the way.
With my head held high, I worked my way through kitchens,
chicken coops, mechanic shops, breaking a sweat to make a dollar stretch.
[piano music playing]
[narrator] Until I got here.
See, I'm the guy who helped bring the world
the most popular snack it's ever seen.
Here you go, ma'am.
[narrator] Nah, not that fool.
Yeah, that fine-looking guapo right there,
looking like Sean Connery dipped in Abuelita chocolate?
That's me. El mero mero Mr. Richard Montañez.
See, but I didn't always schmooze with the big dogs. Nah.
See, I started at the bottom.
[Richard] I mean the very bottom. In a grape vineyard in Guasti, California.
Yeah, that little travieso right there.
Actually, one of nine traviesos .
I mean, it was the '60s. We're Mexican. Of course my parents got down.
See, in my mind, I was the luckiest kid in the world
with a playground bigger than Disneyland.
[young Richard laughing]
[groans] [in Spanish]
[Richard, in English] Except my playground was everybody else's labor camp.
[Richard, in English] We lived together. We worked together.
And we survived together.
And by the time I was ten, I knew all I had in life was… [in Spanish]
[repeats in Spanish]
[both laughing]
[children laughing]
[grunts]
-[Richard, in English] My dad… -[groans]
…Vacho Montañez, short for Borracho , 'cause, well…
[sibling whispering] Richard. Richard.
[Richard, in English] School was no better.
Until I met Judy.
[children chattering]
Let's just say us two chiquillos had a lot in common.
Hi.
[in English] Yeah.
Wish it was a bologna sandwich or-- or a chocolate.
[in English] Want some?
Ew! What is that? Gross.
It's a bean burrito.
Ha! Figures. Beans for a dirty beaner.
-[bullies laugh] -Let's go, guys.
[Richard] Judy and I knew we stuck out like a couple of sore brown thumbs.
[Richard, in English] So we decided to stick together.
Burritos and bullies be damned.
[speaking Spanish]
[mother speaking Spanish]
[sighs]
[in English] Hey. There's the beaner. Ha.
-He's eating it again. Gross. Look. -Looks like it came out of a toilet.
[bully 1] Aw, I might throw up. [imitates retching]
Oh, my God!
So good!
Delicioso.
Want some?
Ew, I'm not gonna eat that!
You eat it.
-[laughs] -I dare you.
[whimpers]
-Hey, this is pretty good. -[bully 2] I want some. Give me one.
Me first. Give me this one.
Twenty-five cents.
Let's go.
[Richard] And just like that, I became the burrito hustler of Guasti Elementary.
Ever heard of a little thing called "supply and demand"?
-[student] Whoa! I want one. -[students clamoring]
[Richard] Man, Taco Bell didn't introduce the world to burritos.
Me and my mama did.
Well, at least that's what it felt like to me.
[coins rattling]
I wasn't gonna let another day go by where Judy ate a sad sack lunch.
My Jude wanted chocolate, and she was gonna get it.
You better have money for that.
[officer] Where'd you steal that from, huh, boy?
[Richard] Here's how this bronca could've gone.
Gee, mister!
I made that money on my newspaper route.
No funny business here. Just a kid with a girl to impress.
Well, look at this fine, upstanding young citizen here, huh?
[manager chuckles]
-Wow! -[officer] Huh? [laughs]
You go get that girl, son.
And you know what? Have some free candy on the house.
-Ooh. -[studio audience laughs, applauds]
Ah, good-looking kid.
-Yeah, smart too. -Yeah.
-[record scratching] -[police radio chatter]
[Richard] But I wasn't a white kid.
I was brown.
[whispers, indistinct]
Get in.
[Richard] And when the world treats you like a criminal, you become one.
[police sirens wailing]
[Richard] Yeah! That's that firme pachuco steez everyone was wearing in the '70s.
[laughs] I look good!
Now, before you start talking smack about
"why Mexicans always got to be gangsters," don't.
'Cause I didn't make this up. I lived it.
You see, back then,
la policía believed they had the right to beat your ass in the street
if your name was González or Martínez.
To be Chicano meant being invisible but still getting a beatdown.
And if la jura wasn't beating your ass,
you were getting shipped off to war to drop like flies.
[explosion]
I was just trying to survive.
And Judy?
She was surviving too.
And we were real good at surviving.
Together.
[chattering]
[Richard] The Chicano Movement was in full effect,
but I wasn't paying attention.
I had family business to attend to.
You see, my homeys were the only family I knew, you dig?
We always had each other's backs.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
-Don't be pushing my man! -[grunts]
-[blows landing] -[grunting]
[both] Get her, Judy!
[Richard] Business was good.
And I was living the life.
[Richard] But ignorance is bliss until one of you wakes up.
Rich, you gotta change now.
-For us and for the baby. -What you talking about?
-Check out this new ride I got us. -Yeah, exactly!
Like, where did this car come from?
-[scoffs, sighs] -[siren blares]
Rich, if I am sitting in a stolen car, I swear--
It's on a layaway plan.
-Are you kidding me right now? -[indistinct]
Why do you keep doing stuff like this all the time?
Look at me, son.
You're not worthless, Richard. Do you hear me?
[judge] You're not stupid.
You've got a brain between those ears, not just that dumb mustache.
You're not your father, but you will be if you don't change.
[judge] If you don't wake up, you're gonna end up in a cell or in the ground.
We can't lose you, Rich.
And I think you can do better.
[Richard] Man, it's a miracle he didn't throw the book at me.
[gangster] Hey, yo, Richie! Richie!
Hey, vato!
You ready to leave?
Let's go, homey!
[speaking Spanish]
["Mexican Rap" playing on car radio]
[gangster 2, in English] Let's go!
[Richard] You see, life is about choices.
Big ones.
It was time for me to choose something better.
But better doesn't always mean easier.
[Judy] We can't fix that right now. We don't have time.
-[Richard] This thing's stuck. -[baby crying]
[Richard] This wire is corroded. What the hell?
[Judy] Yes, amor. Are you hungry?
[cooing]
Amá. Amá, look.
[baby crying]
I know, baby. I know.
[crying continues]
Here. Chew.
You gotta hurry up, baby. We're gonna be late.
[Richard] Yeah, yeah.
-How the heck… -Spit.
-Put your leg up. -[Richard] I think I got it.
Okay, I think I got it.
All right, go. Go wait in the sala.
[refrigerator humming]
[baby cries]
[shouts] [in Spanish]
[in English] I fixed it.
-[refrigerator sputters] -[speaking Spanish]
[in English] Baby, that sounded really bad.
[grunts] Bad? Nah. No, the fridge is just taking a nap.
-The food is gonna spoil. Come on. -The food will be fine.
[sighs] What are we gonna do?
-When are we gonna have time to fix it? -Hey.
-We can't afford another. -Look at me.
-What are we gonna do? -Breathe.
[sighs]
Three.
[inhales deeply] Two.
One. [inhales deeply]
-[inhales deeply] Breathe. -Breathe.
Someone's gonna say "yes" today.
Yeah.
I got this.
And I did have this.
- Judy even made me a fancy résumé. -Excuse me. Hey, man. How are you?
'Cause who's gonna say "no" to something that sounds so French?
-We don't got no work, bro. -Now, I can mow lawns.
I can hedge the bushes. I'll clean out the equipment.
-Whatever you need. -Sorry, man. My crew's full.
Here's my number. Just call me anytime if something opens up.
Excuse me. Do you know where they might be hiring?
My father and grandfather were farmworkers.
I was too when I was a kid so, I-- I remember well.
If you could just take my résumé.
-[speaking Spanish] -[in English] No, thanks.
-[speaking Spanish] -[in English] No, thank you.
Here's my résumé.
And I'll do anything. I'll wash dishes. Whatever.
Don't hold your breath.
-There you go. -[both speaking Spanish]
[both speaking Spanish]
[in English] Some people call it juvie. I call it summer camp.
[knocking]
[chuckles] Who needs a high school diploma to stack a bunch of junk? Am I right?
[manager] We ain't hiring.
You just don't look like the kind of guy who's got an ounce of initiative.
What kind of guy does that look like?
Hey, hey, hey! Hey! That's my car.
Don't do that! You have respect for other people's property, dang it!
Hey, hey, hey!
-You understand me? -Get your hands off my kid!
Don't be talking to him like that.
Good Lord! You women pump these wetbacks out like a factory.
-What did you just say? -Hey! Hey! You touch my kid?
-Leave it, Rich. -What do you mean, "leave it"?
Yes, leave it! The police will come, and that's not good for us.
[Lucky] Mommy?
What's a wetback?
It's okay, baby. You didn't do anything wrong.
-Okay. [kisses] -[Lucky sobbing]
-[baby crying] -I know.
We need to go in at some point, babe.
I really don't want to.
The kids need to eat.
-We have food at home. -No, we don't.
The fridge just broke. We don't have work.
You think I don't know that?
Tortillas can't pay the bills, and our kids have shoes that talk.
We need help.
Please just suck it up, and let's go into Vacho's.
[Spanish music playing]
[Concha speaking Spanish]
-[Judy speaking Spanish] -[Lucky imitates explosion]
[imitates screaming]
[Vacho]
[in English] It's not your job to provide for your family.
It's this menso's job.
What's the matter with you, huh?
Letting your woman work so much.
If you read the Bible, you'd know it's a man's job to provide for his family.
[Richard] You heard that right. God.
Vacho got saved about five years ago.
He replaced the gin and juice with some Jesus juice.
You need to set an example for your kid. Ain't that right, mijo?
[in English] Yes. We both have. There's just no work for anybody right now.
Oh, there's work out there. There's always work out there.
Problem is, all they see is a good- for-nothing gangster when they see you.
-Mm-hmm. -If you gave your life to the Lord,
you would see how fast the help would come, mijo.
Well, last time I checked, Jesus was poor, prieto and powerless like me.
And he did some pretty gangster shit.
You wanna be a good husband and father or what, huevón?
[sighs]
Ya, Concha. [in English] Stop it with the candle, huh?
-Ain't no candle gonna fix him. -[Concha] Okay, Vacho.
[Vacho] He needs to fix himself.
Thank you, Concha. At this point, I'll put my faith in anything.
How about you forget about the stupid candle and have a little faith in me, huh?
Rich, are you serious?
[muffled hip-hop music playing]
[Richard] It felt like I had no choice.
I had to go back to what I knew best.
And if I wanted to start selling again, I had to check in with the old crew.
[partygoers laughing]
[chattering]
Órale. What's up, homeboy?
-[Richard] What's up? -It's the big dog.
You finally back for more business, ese?
Depends.
Oh, yeah?
Oh, shit, Richard's back?
-'Sup? Órale. -I got you, homey.
Hey, check it out.
This vato right here could sell water to a whale, carnal.
The baddest salesman on the block, homey.
Nah.
[door slams]
Richard's good.
[sighs]
[Richard] Every hood has a big brother.
The jefe.
The vato who runs everything on the block.
That was Tony Romero.
Listen, Tony, I know what I'm doing.
No, you don't. 'Cause you got babies.
You don't need to sling nothing.
Hey, man, if he wants to deal, let him deal.
Yeah, homes, we don't all got fancy factory jobs
with benefits and stupid hairnets.
[partygoer laughs] Frito factory.
-You working at Frito-Lay? -[Tony] Yeah.
So, what?
-Well, hook me up with a job. -[Diego] This fool.
-What? -[scoffs]
They hired this Mexican Hulk-Hogan-looking pendejo.
Why not me?
[chuckles] Este vato, man.
You really wanna do this, punk? Huh?
I'm gonna give you a putazo en la madre, fool.
Tony, I just need a job, man.
[grunts]
Go get an application.
Who's stopping you?
Just put in a good word.
Like you said, I got kids.
[scoffs]
I'll see what I can do.
[cartoon playing on television]
[Richard] Hey, forget about that dude at the store, mijo.
You know you're a good kid, right?
Yeah, I know.
Let's check it out.
Put your arm out.
This?
We're the same.
If I'm good, you're good.
No matter what anybody says.
Understand?
Can we just watch TV, Apá?
Sure, mijo.
[Richard] There's a reason why poor people always talking about God.
'Cause when you don't got nothing,
the guy promising you everything starts to sound pretty good.
[employees chattering]
Excuse me. Sorry.
Um, hi.
Um, my name is Richard Montañez. I'm coming to bring a résumé.
We don't take résumés. You have to fill out an application.
And before you ask, no, we don't have it in Spanish.
Okay, thanks.
[applicant] Here's my application.
Hi, um, you think it'd be okay if I brought this back later?
Probably a good idea, hon.
Thank you.
[clears throat] Pen.
Oh. Sorry.
Baby! [gasps]
Sofia got fired.
[in English] So, guess who gets all of her shifts at the store? This girl!
So, I got us the name-brand cornflakes to celebrate.
[grunting]
Hey, what's wrong?
Baby, what's "initiative" mean?
It means, uh, s-someone who can take charge without being asked. Why?
Do I look like a guy who's got initiative?
What is it? Tell me.
[clicks tongue] High school diploma.
You're applying to Frito-Lay?
Yeah, but I got to be a high school graduate,
and I can barely read the application.
No, baby, that's okay. I'll help you.
[chuckles]
I need my wife to help me fill out the application.
God, what an idiot.
Hey! Stop it.
Screw the diploma. Can you do the job?
Yeah, I think so.
Can you?
Yes, I can.
Okay, well, guess what?
You graduated from San Bernardino High School.
Class of '71.
Yeah?
With honors. What's up?
Okay, papi, let's not get crazy.
Come on. They ain't gonna know.
[clicking tongue]
So, Tony says you're a good guy. [sighs]
Yeah, I hope so.
You fill this out?
Yeah.
You write like a girl.
Thank you.
San Bernardino High, huh? I went there.
You did?
Remember Principal Grimaldi? [groans]
Tough. Annoying.
[chuckles] Heck, yeah, man.
I hated that guy.
Principal Grimaldi is a woman.
Yea-Yeah, but she was like--
She was like-- like a woman who felt like one of the guys.
Okay.
-All right. -Look, um, sir!
Look, I'm fast. I'm smart.
I-- I know I don't look it,
but I promise I'll be the best worker you ever hired.
Look, maybe I don't got no diploma, but I got a PhD.
-Hmm? -I'm poor, hungry and determined, sir.
Oh, well, that's just stupid.
[sighs]
Fine. [sighs]
Honestly, most of the Mexicans here work pretty dang hard.
It's a janitor gig. What's the worst you could do? Break a mop?
But I won't.
[Richard] For the first time in years, this chavo had a legit grown-up job.
See, fools were jealous.
Shoot, I was jealous of me.
[forklift beeping]
All right, you punch in on time. You punch out on time. No exceptions.
This here is the main pit.
Cornmeal goes in that extruder, through the oven.
Chips cool down in this tumbler. Lots of grease. You'll be scrubbing that.
Right there are the fryers.
You're gonna change the oil on those every two days.
Make sure you scrub the exterior too
because it'll drip like a son of a gun and muck up the floors.
Could cause a lawsuit.
And I don't need a stinking lawsuit, got it?
This here is the main walkway.
Lot of forklifts and traffic moving around, so be careful.
[Richard] It was crazy. Like a city of machines.
It was firme .
[chuckles] This moreno was finally part of something.
Something big.
Here the chips are sorted, weighed and bagged.
Underneath there, those conveyors, I want you to scrub right up under that.
These bins are gonna wanna be emptied out every hour.
Main trash bin is outside there on the loading dock.
But, basically, don't get in anyone's way.
Montañez! Hey, you "comprende-ing"?
Yes, sir!
Cornmeal extruder, oil lawsuits, every bin, every hour.
I'll be the best dumper you ever had.
Okay, I can see you're gonna be a weird one.
All right, this here is Nacho. Nacho. Richard.
Nacho will fill you in on anything I didn't explain.
-Good luck. -What do you need help with?
[worker on PA] Packaging operator, you're needed on the floor, please.
Packaging operator, you're needed on the floor.
Wow!
Hey, this is so cool. Have you seen this?
[Richard, in English] Hey!
I got you. That's too heavy for you, vato.
-[worker] Gracias. Gracias. -[Richard] All right. [grunts]
[grunts]
[chattering on television]
Amá, Dad's home!
Oh, my gosh! Baby, how did it go? Did they like you? I was praying all day.
[chuckles] Apá, they gave you free Cheetos?
You know white people don't give you no free nothing. Plus… [in Spanish]
-[in English] What we got, babe? - Arroz con quesadillas.
[Richard] Mmm.
[groans] We always eat the same thing.
Hey! You like my quesadillas. Here. Eat.
Hey.
-[clicks tongue] You proud of your man? -Maybe.
Start bringing home free food, and I'll think about it.
-[chuckles] - Chale.
[kisses]
Babe, you got that candle burning 24-7. You're gonna burn down the house.
Hey! What are you doing, necio? You trying to get fired?
-I don't think so. -[blows]
-[chuckles] Brat. Stop it. -What? It's so windy in here.
-[blows] -[laughs] I'm gonna get you!
-Stop it! -I won't do it. [blows]
[power washer spraying]
Hey, that was fun, man.
I've never used a power washer before. I didn't know they could clean like that.
You know what? I think if we used vinegar, it would do really well.
Vin-- Judy has this-- You know what?
I think she used baking soda. That's what it is.
[factory workers chattering]
Oh, hey!
So, you're telling me that the cornmeal mixes with the water,
goes into that machine, is like, "Poof!"
Comes out shaped like a Cheeto?
But, like, how?
Is it, um--
Is it the heat plus the pressure?
Don't you got a mop to flirt with instead of me, Paco?
-[Richard] Man, I know guys like this. -Okay.
I've dealt with them my whole life.
-[grunts] -[groans]
-[both grunting] -[worker] Oh, yeah, Richard! Yeah!
-[workers cheering] -[Richard] Nah, just kidding.
[shouts]
[Richard] What'd you think? This is my first week on the job.
I had to mind my gangster.
Yeah, it's the heat plus the pressure.
[worker 1] Colettes look good to you, Baker?
Yeah.
Is that what they call the "temp levels," or is that part of the machine?
Nah, man. The doodles, bro. The Cheeto doodles are the colettes.
[Richard] Oh, nice. Hey, it's wild, isn't it?
How all these gauges and gadgets make a bunch of doodles.
[supervisor] Montañez!
Come on. The extruder's caked in cheese dust. Clean it out!
It's Montañez, sir!
[factory workers chattering]
You got a cool job, brother!
Yes, I do, brother.
I'm an engineer.
Self-made.
For real?
For real.
Hey, hold up!
[worker on PA] Quality control, extension 334.
[tapping]
You push all them buttons like you're a superhero.
Like, pow-pow-pow!
[chuckles]
Hey, I'm Richard.
Richard Montañez.
Clarence C. Baker.
Órale.
-Pleasure to meet you, hermano. -Mm-hmm.
Hey, what's the "C" stand for?
Charisma.
Oh, okay.
Hey, I got a question.
You think there might be a way that I can look at--
Man, I don't even know what it's called.
It's, like, a diorama or a diagram of this machine.
Now, why would you wanna learn about a machine I run, boy?
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Uh, my bad, Clarence.
The janitor got a little lost. He was just looking for the cafeteria.
-Just come on. -[Richard] I was just talking to him, man.
Richie, don't be talking to people like that, homey.
This here's like high school, menso.
Union guys ain't trying to talk to no janitor.
I never been to high school. I don't know what you're talking about.
-[sighs] Come on, man. -[worker laughs]
New guy's already messing up?
Oh, yeah! He's talking to Clarence like he knows the guy.
-You already met Nacho. This is Hector. -Hey.
-That's Alejandro. -How you guys doing?
-[speaks Spanish] -[in English] Pass me the salsa, yeah?
[Tony, in English] I don't like the green one, bro. Gracias.
[in English] Here's what you need to know if you're gonna survive around here.
The guys at that table, those are the plant managers.
Calm, confident.
They got white picket fences and 401(k)s.
They got money, champagne,
and no worries because they got the cushy, safe jobs.
Then, there's the floor managers.
They ain't got no job security, but they got all the responsibility.
-[managers shouting] -God dang it!
[Tony] Poor bastards are bitter because they gotta answer
to the guys above them who do less and make more.
Y luego , the machine operators.
Blue-collar but proud. They get everybody's respect.
And Clarence, he's the best of them all.
Homey's been here longer than anybody.
[in English] Yeah, but why is that bad?
'Cause the compa has been trying to get from that table
to that table for 15 years.
Half those cabrones at the top learned everything they know from Clarence.
There's a reason he doesn't like getting questions about his machines.
- Exacto. -And then, you got us.
Lowest of the low.
-The assembly line, packing-- -[scoffs] Speak for yourself, homey.
Us drivers are elite status. [chuckles]
[Alejandro] Ooh! Ay, güey. Órale.
[in English] And then there's you two.
-Bottom-feeders. The janitors. -[Alejandro, indistinct]
[in English] Guys like you can't be talking to a guy like Clarence.
'Cause we don't break rank around here.
Entiendes?
It's about respect.
And guys like you and me, we don't get shots like this.
So don't blow it.
'Cause I'm not going back to that life, carnal.
Are you?
[Richard grunts]
[grunts]
You should see the machines.
Oh, and I got my own little office y todo, Amá.
[in English] An office, huh? You mean more like a closet, que no?
Where you stuff the cleaning supplies.
Man, it ain't no closet.
Nacho and I share a desk in there. We got a phone and everything.
Ah, still a dead end, sangrón.
It's a job.
Provide for my family.
Yeah, for how long?
[in English] Until you change your insides,
you're gonna keep making the same mistakes.
You can't spend the rest of your life scrubbing floors
and cleaning up after people.
[Richard] I would never say Vacho was right, but he wasn't wrong.
I didn't wanna mop floors my whole life.
I was working hard to get to the top.
And you know who was at the top?
That vato right there. Roger Enrico.
He ran PepsiCo, which ran Frito-Lay, which ran us.
He created the Pepsi Generation and a blind taste test challenge
that became a national marketing sensation.
This vato is the only guy to almost take down Coca-Cola in nearly 100 years.
Pepsi was ballin' thanks to this G.
If I was gonna get to the top, I needed to learn from the best.
And Clarence? Clarence was the best.
I couldn't mess around.
I needed to pull out the big guns. Los cuetes , baby.
You want carnitas or asada?
Flank steak?
Asada?
Asada.
Okay, what do you want?
I wanna say that I respect your work, sir.
Uh, that I respect that you're self-made.
An engineer.
I wanna learn from you.
Look, my father ain't worth nothing,
but he taught me a lot about fixing stuff as a kid.
So, I got a thing for machines.
Like when I learn them and fix them and run 'em, it makes me feel like--
I don't know. Like I ain't a nobody.
Maybe even like I am a somebody.
Somebody that gives out respect to people he's barely met
that haven't even earned it?
'Cause I ain't that kinda somebody.
[Richard] Dang, if I was gonna learn anything here,
it was gonna be from this guy.
But he was shut up tighter than a jar of chipotles.
Right.
You got some salsa or what?
Yeah.
-[Clarence] What are we talkin'? Spicy? -[Richard] Oh, yeah.
-[Clarence] Good. -[Richard] Be careful with that one.
[Richard] Clarence C. Baker. He was respected and smart as hell.
And get this, his middle name really was Charisma.
All right. Got your machine all shiny, Mr. Baker. What ya think?
You missed the vent.
-What? -[chuckles]
Dang.
[in English] Richie!
Hey, Mr. Baker. Sir!
I was reviewing the extruder protocols, and it looks like this gauge is off.
-Do you want me to adjust it? I know how. -No, no, no, no.
This gauge ain't off.
Hmm. Must've been Alejandro touchin' my dang machine again.
Thanks.
Hey, Clarence, some of these chips are looking overcooked.
Should the heat be adjusted?
Nah, brown ones are separated and then tossed.
They just trash 'em?
Dang.
People always trying to throw away the brown ones.
Montañez, you missed a spot.
[laughing]
Watch yourself, Carson.
[clicks tongue] I'm always missin' a spot.
[Clarence] Hey.
Leave it.
Come with me.
Stand right there…
[machines whirring]
…and listen.
[whirring continues]
Gasket's loose in station seven.
That's all I got to do, is listen.
I can tell you which machine, belt, drum, valve or motor that's off.
All by keeping my mouth shut and listening.
[whirring continues]
I can't hear it.
Oh, you will when I'm done with you.
You ain't a nobody, son.
[Richard] Heck yeah.
I was officially his protégé.
But I had to learn it on my own time, before and after my shifts.
But it didn't matter.
I was ready. I knew I could do more and be more.
-Hey, I got to go. -Wait, why?
Your shift doesn't start till later.
[kisses] Because Clarence said if I got there early,
-he'd show me how to use the tumbler! -The what?
-Always very small movements. -Yeah, but I know this.
-[stammers] -How that work?
Stop.
Montañez, you ain't done. Come on.
Yeah! Hey, maybe the wire burned out.
No, it's just oxidized.
Plug it back in.
[machine starts]
-Hey, you going on break, brother? -[Clarence] Yeah.
I got you. I'll watch your machine.
[applause]
[Richard] Just when things were going great for me,
the country's economy went to shit.
[newscaster] This is NBC Nightly News .
This was the day Ronald Reagan has been waiting for
since he first entered politics.
The day he will announce that he is slowing down the growth
of the federal government.
[Richard] Man, these Reagan years weren't kind to nobody.
Nothing trickling down to the pobres and prietos like us.
[reporter] Deep cuts are planned for programs designed for the poor,
such as food stamps, Medicaid, and employment programs.
[person 1] I already have a hard time keeping the roof over my kid's head.
And now I'm making too much money for food stamps?
[person 2] How do they expect me to feed my family?
-[Richard] The factory was struggling. -[person 2] I can't even afford my rent.
[Richard] I didn't know politics affect people,
especially hardworking people like us.
[person 3] Hispanics are much poorer now than we were
before the Reagan administration came into power.
[Richard] As the years passed around here,
layoffs and shift cuts got more popular than Koosh balls and parachute pants.
And here I was, eight years later, in the exact same spot.
[chuckles] Not even. Things were worse.
[social worker] Yes, you qualify for SNAP.
With dependents, you can siphon off more than enough food stamps--
Excuse me, what do you mean "siphon"?
-We're hardworking. We both have jobs. -Stop. Mom.
-We're trying to figure this out. -Mom, you're embarrassing us!
You're going to make us feel bad for wanting help?
-[clamoring] -[worker] What are we supposed to do?
[supervisor] Hey, hey.
Quiet down, please. Okay?
Quiet down! Hey!
Frito-Lay isn't getting enough orders
to keep both our factory and Bakersfield open.
[workers grumble]
[supervisor] So I'm gonna be brutally honest.
Losing bulk orders to Bakersfield is now lethal.
If we cannot outrun 'em, we are the ones who will get shut down.
Understand?
Now, let's go! Back to work!
[Richard] The snack wars were getting serious.
Competition was thick and market share was shrinking.
You see, Roger Enrico had become the CEO of PepsiCo, and he didn't mess around.
So his first order of business:
cut the fat, cut shifts, shut down factories,
and find the money to keep this ship moving.
The corporate suite at Frito-Lay felt like gangsters throwing down in a drug den.
'Cause, let's be real, that's pretty much what C-suiters are. Gangsters with money.
Enrico was pissed.
He was like, "You pendejos are out here tellin' me
these little punks like Nabisco and Eagle Snacks
are getting more feria than us?
Biting off our territory, and youse estúpidos okay with that?"
And this gabacho was all, "Nah, big homey.
We still got the good stuff.
Cheetos, Fritos, Doritos.
People still dishin' out lana for the classics, bro."
Then the big homey laid it down, and he was like,
[speaking Spanish]
[in English] "For how long?
'Cause we ain't got time, little puppet."
What? You need a chola translator? All right, I got you.
So, sales are down?
-Yeah. -Unfortunately.
-Yeah, that's what it looks like. -Right now.
-Hey, Stephanie. -Hey, Richard.
Any word on my application for the machinist job?
Sorry, Richard. There are no openings yet.
[sighs]
Don't worry, hon. You'll be the first to know. I'll call ya.
-All right. -Thank you.
[Richard] Everyone's shifts kept getting cut.
Didn't matter if you were at the top or the bottom of the food chain.
[workers harmonizing]
[Richard] Hmm, at least I wasn't alone. We were all struggling.
Struggling to feed our families. Struggling to keep our homes.
Struggling to save our pride.
So we did what Mexicans do best.
We shoved it down and tried to keep our heads up,
even while we were drowning.
[slurps]
[blows]
[Steven] Apá.
Can't sleep?
[dog barking]
[Hector] Hey, you sure you don't wanna go home?
Nah, man. I'm sure.
Man, you crazy. I don't work free 99.
Yeah, well, when someone in the factory needs a shift covered,
who they gonna call?
Ghostbusters.
[Richard] You got jokes.
They're gonna call the vato loco who knows how to do everything.
[panting]
All you got to know, vato loco, is rotation is the key.
Out with the old, in with the new.
They're all old.
Yeah, well, brown neighborhood, white flavors. Do the math.
I mean, who eats Cool Ranch anyway?
Excuse me.
That lady.
We need to focus on the stockholders. They control the purse strings.
No, it's the regional managers who need the oars to turn this ship around.
What? The stockholders are chopped liver?
They need answers. This video should give it to them.
-Everything isn't about the stockholders. -Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, guys.
I don't need stockholders or regional managers or scripts.
I'm gonna just speak from the heart today.
Okay? To the people who matter.
[boom mic operator] Mic's hot.
[sighs] Gentlemen.
-Three, two, one, let's shoot it. -[camera operator] Okay. Ready to roll.
[workers chattering]
Okay, everybody, we have some entertainment for today's lunch.
Garza, hey! Give me a hand here. We've got to plug it in somewhere.
All right. [grunts]
Yeah, that's the thing. [sighs]
Okay. Enjoy the show.
Hey, man. What's that?
Corporate nonsense. They make me play this crap all the time.
Watch it. Ignore it. I don't care.
[sighs]
Hello. I'm Roger Enrico, chairman of Frito-Lay.
I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here speaking directly to you, our workforce.
You, my friend, are the heart and soul of this company.
[Richard] Turns out Enrico sounded more like Mister Rogers than American Me .
[Roger] …machines running and the product moving.
Now, the world, the economy, the factory is going through a hard time.
I know you've felt it.
But, for every challenge, there is opportunity.
And this is your opportunity, Richard.
Yeah, you with the broom. You see anyone else watching?
Me? I'm just a janitor.
So? Show the world what a janitor can do.
Every person can be the difference between failure and success.
Richard, I want you to think like a CEO.
Think like a CEO.
[Roger] Stock prices are rising. And in the foreseeable future…
-[grunts] - …we should get our…
[child shouts]
-[Steven] Papi! -[child] Can't wait.
Hey!
[grunts] How was your day?
-Good. -Yeah?
Hey. What the hell happened to you?
Let's just go home.
Nah, not before I beat these little punks up.
-Hey! -No, Dad, let's just go home!
Can we get some elotes first?
No! Why do we always gotta do stupid Mexican stuff?
Hey! What's the matter with you?
Don't look at me. I love elote. I love beans. I love rice. I love tamales.
He's just mad 'cause kids make fun of him 'cause we're Mexican.
-Man, shut up! -Hey, you shut up!
-Hey! Knock it off. -Hey!
Stop.
Is that true?
Are some little pricks picking on you?
[sighs]
Look, there's a lot we can be embarrassed about.
But being Mexican? Nah, mijo, that ain't one of 'em.
You're embarrassed.
No, I'm not.
And you know why they don't want you to be Mexican?
Because they know it's a superpower.
They know that if you are proud of who you are, that they couldn't stop you.
That they couldn't make you feel like you're less than them.
Because you're not, mijo.
They know that superpower-- that superpower can knock 'em out.
Like-- Like Superman. [chuckles]
I ain't four no more, Dad.
Plus, no one craps on Superman like they crap on us.
[sighs]
Come on. We're getting elote. Right now.
[children laughing, chattering]
Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!
What is it?
It burns!
Well, stop eating it, dummy.
No! I like it. It burns good.
[Richard] I'd been searching for an answer.
Or a door to open.
[laughs] And there it was, all around me.
It had been there the entire time.
-Mom! -Mom!
-[Richard] Jude! -Mommy!
Enrico sent me a video!
The candle was out. I fixed it, and Enrico sent me a video.
My candle sent you a video?
[Richard] Yeah!
-Lucky, baby, what happened? -[Lucky mutters]
-Nah, nah. He's all right. Eh? -What?
He's not four anymore. Plus, we already talked about it.
[inhales deeply] We're working on our superpowers.
O no? All right. Go get some bowls.
Mommy! We're gonna make chile chips and save everybody's jobs.
-We just needed time, you, and the recipe. -Okay.
-[Richard] Hey, put this in a bowl. -Okay.
Get a move on.
And while you do that, Rich, how do we pay rent? Huh?
How do we buy food? How? How do we survive?
We'll be okay.
God, baby. I can't do this anymore.
-No, no, no, no, no. Hey, hey, hey. -Oh, my Gosh.
Cálmate.
Breathe.
Three…
-Two! -Two!
One. Breathe.
[breathes deeply]
Baby…
Vacho found a job for you.
-[clicks tongue, sighs] -It's a full-time job.
Why can't you just talk to him? For me, please.
And then-- And then I will do this for you.
Yeah, okay.
Okay.
[chip crunches]
-Hey! You eating the product? -[Steven] Sorry.
Clarence, you gotta believe me. They got potential.
I just need the product to start sampling.
We got to innovate, remember?
We could cover every Dorito, Frito and Cheeto with this stuff
and get more orders. More orders means more shifts.
So, Frito-Lay is gonna make them because the janitor said so?
Now, Mr. Enrico said that--
Roger Enrico? We're talking about the guys at the top.
You ain't at the top. I ain't at the top. Those guys up there are.
[stammers] Wait, sometimes we just gotta show 'em what the burrito's worth.
What does that even mean, son?
It may look like it's worthless, but if people just took a bite, they'd see.
Someone took a chance on you, didn't they? You got on that machine somehow.
If they took a chance on you again, you'd run this whole damn place.
-Of course I would. -Because you believe it.
And I believe in this.
And I know it sounds crazy, but what else is there to do?
Lose our jobs? Go hungry?
You got a point.
[Tony] Yo, what are you doing? Eating all the Cheetos?
So I got a plan, carnal.
All right. So I was talking to Clarence. This is what we're gonna do.
[laughing]
[Richard] We had it all to gain and nothin' to lose.
We were just a bunch of brown chips on a conveyor belt, waitin' to get tossed.
-Thank you, brother. All right. -[Nacho speaking Spanish]
[in English] Almost forgot your Cheetos.
Hey.
That's the Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos.
Hey. Don't get your hopes up too high. Okay, fool?
[horn honks]
[Spanish hip-hop playing on radio]
[whistles]
You kickin' with these fools again?
[gangster] Tony, let's go!
You take care of your family. I take care of mine.
[Richard] Yeah, Tony had to go back to that drug life.
'Cause his mom was battling cancer,
and he didn't have any money to pay for doctor bills.
We were all gonna do whatever it takes to take care of our families.
It's a full-time job, mijo.
That's good. Full-time's good.
Like Pastor Marco said, after a year, you'll move on up.
-[Lucky laughs] -Ain't that right, Pastor?
-[in English] Hey, boys, come on. -Ow.
[in English] So, I would go from being a janitor
to being a janitor?
And, hopefully, si me pongo las pilas, and I'm lucky,
I'm gonna maybe be janitor-in-chief? President of the janitors?
King of the janitors?
Nah, I'm good.
I think I'll stick with Frito-Lay, where I have a real future.
Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, eh, Vacho?
Don't be stupid, mijo. They don't believe in you or care about you.
And you do?
All that ever comes out of your mouth is what an idiot I am.
That I ain't worth shit. I can't do nothin' right.
You expect me to trust you when you say God believes in me?
He does.
According to the Book of Vacho.
[in English] You respect me in front of my company--
Respect you?
Hey, check it out, Pastor.
I bet you didn't know that he beat the shit out of me my whole life.
But it doesn't bother me. Because I got thick skin and a hard skull.
You know what really sucks, Apá?
Is that I hear your voice in my head, beating my brain every day.
And for some reason, that's the beating I can't get up from.
I'm just trying to help.
-Back off. -[Judy] Hey, baby.
It's getting so bad, your wife is looking for help behind your back.
She's lost all faith in you.
-Hey, hey, hey! -[Richard] What?
You do not speak for me, Vacho, and you sure as hell don't speak for God.
Richard, look at me. I did not say that I didn't have faith in you.
I know what Richard is, and I know what he isn't.
Not educated? Sure. But he is the smartest person that I know.
He already knows God.
You wanna save someone? Save yourself.
And then you come to him when you're the father that he needs.
Come on, baby. We're gonna go put my voice in your head.
Come on, kids. We're leaving. Let's go.
[Steven] I don't want to go.
[Lucky] Come on. Just go.
Let's go, guys. Get in the car.
Hey. If we're gonna make those güeritos sweat, we're gonna get the good stuff.
[Richard] To be the best, you had to get the best. Homegrown, baby.
Chile molido, chile fresco, chile guajillo, chile piquín,
I mean, you name it, we cleared the shelves of it.
Baby, get the red chile.
-I can't, Mom. -Yes, you can, Papá. Come on.
Jude, which chiles do you want?
All of 'em, babe.
[Richard] No chile was left unturned.
Jude! Jalapeños or serranos?
Hey, babe! I found some güeritos.
Okay, baby. Which one you wanna try? The Cheetos? Fritos? Doritos? The popcorn?
[Richard] And I had my very own focus group.
-Uh, Doritos. -Oh, yeah.
[chip crunches]
[chewing]
[gasps, stammering] Hot! [pants]
Hot like elote hot? Good hot?
-No! Bad, bad, bad. -Come on.
-[groans, indistinct] -[chips crunch]
-[coughs] -[heaves]
-Oh, my-- Baby. -Hot.
Oh, water!
[Richard] Chale , man. That salsa would've made the devil sweat.
While we were trying to remember
everything our abuelitas taught us about chile , apparently, in the Midwest,
they had already been spicing things up for a while.
Except their ingredients came in test tubes and syringes.
[pants] Oh, it's hot.
-[alarm blaring] -Hot. Hot. Hot!
[Richard] I don't know what's going down over there.
All I knew was, our ingredients came from the ground. Our roots.
Maltodextrin.
Monosodium glutamate.
Disodium inosinate.
[Richard] Me and Judy had that spice in our DNA.
[Judy] You gotta turn the bowl.
-Look, taste this. -[grunts]
There you go. How is it?
-It's wet. -Wet?
I think we need to bake 'em. I think they need to be dry ingredients.
Wait, no, no, no. Try it.
-Ah, chile de pasilla. -[Richard] Mmm.
Dad, just shake it. It's not sticking.
It's gotta tumble, like it does in the factory.
If anyone was gonna crack this recipe, it was gonna be us: the Montañez.
We had tried every chile in every store in town.
Until finally…
[crunching]
[gasps] Ow! Ow! Ow! It burns!
[both] Burns good or burns bad?
It burns good.
-Oh! -[screams]
Oh, we did it!
-Oh. Yeah! -[Judy laughs]
Of course we did!
[factory workers chattering, clamoring]
[supervisor] I'm just doing what corporate tells me to do.
What happened?
-Layoffs, son. Lots of 'em. -[supervisor] I'm the messenger here.
Where's Tony? Where's Nacho?
[clamoring continues]
[supervisor] Do you really think I wanna lay people off?
Okay. Hey, hey, hey! That's it! That's all I got for now, okay?
Back to work.
-Hey, Lonny! -[Lonny] Somebody put this ladder back.
Lonny, hold up, man. Hey, look. You gotta listen to me.
I got an idea. An idea you gotta tell Enrico about.
It's a new line of products. It's a spicy chip!
It's gonna change everything. Spicy Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos.
Spicy what?
[stammers] I just laid off a slew of hardworking guys again.
-Yeah-- -A lot of 'em your friends,
and you wanna tell me about some new flavor you got?
Look, if you just called Enrico…
Oh, you just want me to call Enrico?
-Yeah. -And just tell him,
"Oh, our janitor, the guy who cleans the toilets, he's got a bright idea"?
You know I can do more than clean the toilets, Lonny.
It ain't like that, okay?
New products take years to develop, cost millions to launch,
and they do not get created by blue-collar hoodlums,
who probably can't spell the word "hoodlum."
Hey! What's with the chitchat?
[Richard] When I was seven,
these white ladies would come to our school to tutor us in reading.
Except there were two trailers. One for the white kids…
and one for everybody else, the brown kids.
Because, you know, they liked to keep us separate.
And then, kids that came out of the white trailer,
they always came out with cookies in their hands.
[drawer opens]
And I really wanted one of those cookies.
And one day, I got in that line.
The white kids spit at me, shoved me,
and told me, "Go back to Mexico!"
But I didn't care. I stayed in that line.
I went into that trailer.
[drawer closes]
And when I came out, I came out with my damn cookies.
[factory workers chattering]
[phone rings]
Office of President Roger Enrico.
Uh, hi.
Uh, may I speak with Roger Enrico, please? This is Richard Montañez.
Uh, what country are you calling from, Mr. Montañez?
United States.
[inhales sharply] Well, you're not the president of American corporate,
'cause that's not his name.
I work in California.
Don't say anything. This says "received."
Oh, you're the VP of California.
[Richard] No, I, um…
-You. Let's go. -I work at the Rancho Cucamonga plant.
Okay, so you're the plant director?
Not exactly. I work "inside" inside the plant.
I'm, uh…
I'm a maintenance technician.
Hello?
Um, the janitor? You're the janitor?
Okay, no, no, don't-don't-don't hang up.
I have an idea that's gonna revolutionize Frito-Lay.
That'll save our factory, that'll save jobs,
that'll save hardworking people who are just trying to survive.
Look, if he cares about his people, his people on the line,
Mr. Enrico needs to hear this.
[chattering]
Please hold.
[beeps]
Hello, Richard. This is Roger.
Mr. Enrico, uh--
Thank you for taking my call.
I have an idea that you need to hear.
I'm listening.
[Richard] Okay, yes, sir.
I'm Mexican and proud of it. And there's a lot of us in this country,
and we spend money on snacks just like everybody else.
We eat Doritos, but not before covering them suckers with Tapatio.
It's like the more it burns, the more money we'll spend on it.
So I thought, "Why don't I make my own spicy slurry?"
You made your own spicy slurry?
[Richard] Yeah, I did. And it's good.
You can slather it on everything: Doritos, Fritos, popcorn, Cheetos.
And the best part, sir, it is 100% Mexican-approved.
Uh, my family, my neighbors, they can't get enough.
And I got a plan, Mr. Enrico, to get it to the streets, to get it to my people.
I think it will save our factory. It will save jobs.
Save jobs, huh?
That's a lot of confidence there, Richard.
Yes, sir. And you said in the video, "Think like a CEO." So I did. [chuckles]
You saw my video?
[Richard] Yes, sir.
And you're a janitor?
Maintenance crew, sir.
Look, if it's okay, I'd like to send you some samples, sir.
Richard, that's more than okay with me.
- More than okay. -[grunts]
Thank you, sir.
[line clicks]
[sighs]
-[clerk] Next. -Go, go.
What are we doing, guys? First class? Priority?
Hold on a sec.
We should pray.
-We should? -Yeah.
I mean, God got us here, right? We should let God take it home.
Yeah. Yeah.
[breathes deeply]
Uh, dear God, Jesus, señor…
-I mean, you know who you are. -[chuckles]
Listen, man. We both know I've-- I've made a lot of mistakes in my life.
Mmm, the gang, the guns, the drugs, the stolen cars, the other drugs.
Man, there was a lot of drugs.
You know, maybe I wasn't never bad, just lost.
But I'm doing good things now, so--
What the heck, man? Let's move it.
Hey! He is praying, pendejo! Have some respect.
Go ahead, baby.
Lord, please forgive me for all my past sins, and…
pour all your blessings onto this box right here.
A-Amen?
Amen.
[Patti] Here you go, sir.
[Richard] That Italian jefe was about to have his mind blown.
Holy!
Hot! That's h--
Mama hot!
Patti!
Water. [coughs]
[blows]
[exhales sharply]
[phone ringing]
Maintenance. Richard.
Richard, it's Roger.
Roger Enrico.
- Are you there? -Yes, sir.
Listen, Richard, I can't stop thinking about your initiative.
And I'm coming to Rancho Cucamonga for a plant tour.
What do you say I meet you there,
and you tell me more about your ideas?
In about two weeks.
- Would that be okay with you? -Yes, sir. More than okay.
Good. We'll be in touch.
Who the hell is this Richard Montañez?
And who let him call Roger-freaking-Enrico?
Get him on the phone!
Okay, I don't know who that is!
What do you mean you don't know the guy?
He works in your plant. Find him!
Montañez?
Montañez!
-[bangs] -Stay right there!
-[Richard] Turns out, I messed up. -[Lonny] Are you kidding me?
I broke rank and went straight to the top.
Wasn't nobody happy with this chavalo talking to the top dog.
-Lonny, it ain't even like that. -Oh, you're gonna paint.
You're gonna fix every machine in here.
You're gonna clean every particle of dust
until every code violation in here is gone.
Good luck with that!
Mr. Enrico's coming to hear about my product.
Yeah, and when he's done listening and realizes it's all nonsense,
he's gonna think, "Hey, I don't need you."
Then he's gonna realize we need to stop hemorrhaging money,
and he's gonna start by shutting us down!
You better pray for a miracle, Montañez.
Because before this is over, one way or another, you won't have a job.
-[smacks lips] -No!
None of us will have a job! Thanks to Richard!
Thanks, Richard.
[workers muttering]
Mm-mmm.
Baby?
What are you doing up?
I got to find a way to stop Enrico from coming.
-Stop him? -Mm-hmm.
Uh-uh. No, what--
-What are you doing? -[Richard grunts]
Uh-uh. Come on. Get up. Get up. Come on!
Look at yourself.
-[Richard sighs] -Look. You see that guy right there?
Who? That guapo right there? Yeah, I see him.
Yeah, you do? You see a good man?
-Come on. [sighs] -A special man?
Because, baby, that's what I see.
I see a chingón.
A Montañez.
[speaking Spanish]
[Judy, in English] They're scared.
Scared of what you can do for them.
Scared that they've been begging for help,
and they got a broke Mexican kid from Guasti as their hero.
They don't know what to do with that.
Baby, do you know what I've been praying for all these years?
That you would see the gifts and talents that you have.
Baby, use your gifts.
Be great!
Enrico is coming to hear you speak.
Do not let these sinvergüenzas stop you.
I-- [sighs]
I-I don't even know how to do a sales presentation.
Well, guess what?
We're gonna find out.
Now, come on. Let's go to bed.
[Richard] You wanna survive this crazy world?
Get yourself a Judy.
Man, she took me to biz church the next few weeks.
-Okay, that's enough. -That's really smart.
-Babe, no. -Ooh, baby, The Hispanic Market.
-That's good. -[Judy] Great book.
This is great. I had no idea any of this stuff was a-- a thing.
You don't know how to use a computer, right?
-So this is all the information online… -Oh, yeah.
I should learn how to use a computer.
[Judy grunts]
"Present a solution to their challenges."
Connect prospects to profits.
What's "prospects"?
[Steven] Got it!
[Judy] No, baby, you have to be, like, animated.
What, like Bugs Bunny?
-No, like, excited, big, you know? -[sighs]
"The Hispanics are the fastest growing segment in the US population."
See, that's what I've been saying, baby. We like to get down!
Okay, baby. Come on. Reel it in.
I need to say something like, "We're being ignored."
Then say that, but from your diaphragm and your chest, head up.
Take control of the room.
Say, "The Hispanic market will not be ignored."
[imitating Clarence] The Hispanic market will not be ignored.
Good, but in your voice.
-Baby, I found Versace for $3. -Yeah?
-Oh, no, it's Vermachee. -[grunts]
[speaking Spanish]
-[in English] You look so good. -[Richard] Yeah?
-I feel weird. [sighs] -No, you look good.
You look sharp.
This looks really good on you.
[chuckles]
Something like this.
You're the best person I know.
Who, me? [clicks tongue]
I'm just a poor cholita who got smart about God.
Nah, pretty sure God got smart about you.
[scoffs]
Silly.
Jude, I--
I'm here because of you.
You know that, right?
What? [scoffs]
There's no me without you.
[chuckles]
Thank you for believing in me, mi reina.
[chuckles]
[clicks tongue] Well, your reina don't know jack about tying a tie.
B-But I know someone who does.
-[clicks tongue] Nah, man. No way-- -Baby, I know.
I know, I know.
But he won't stop calling. I don't think he's gonna go away.
He does love you.
You look good.
I'm gonna go find some fake Gucci.
[Richard] When you've had as many court dates as Vacho,
you master tying a tie.
-I know I don't got the right to tell you. -Come on, man.
-[sighs] -[Vacho] Listen to me.
[speaking Spanish]
[in English] I am so proud of you, mijo.
And I'll always regret not being the man that made you the man you are today.
Always.
[breathing shakily]
[chuckles, sniffles]
[in English] You look good, mijo.
[sighs]
[Richard] There are more Hispanics in the United States than there are…
There are more Hispanics in the United States
than there are in-- [gasps]
Come on out. It's time.
Okay.
[Lonny] And I've organized a checklist that we call "quality control" or "QC."
You can say "Quality C" too. Actually, either way.
And those quality checks every 20 minutes are the reason
we haven't had a line go down in years.
Unlike Bakersfield.
-Right, I see. -If you don't mind,
I'd love to show you how the colettes are made.
Mr. Mason, I happen to know how colettes are made.
My time is limited, so I--
Where is Richard? I'd like to speak to him.
Sure, sure. Uh, Richard!
[Richard] I'm here!
[no audible dialogue]
[Clarence, mouthing words]
The infamous Richard Montañez.
What an honor to meet you, Richard.
Are you ready?
A huevo. I've been ready.
[Roger chuckles] All right.
[Richard] All right, all right. Judy says I exaggerate this part a lot.
I guess it was a little bit more like this.
I'm here! Here!
-Pardon me. -[worker] Watch out.
-That's my foot! -Sorry. Excuse me, guys.
Just need to get right there. Thank you so much.
[sighs]
So nice to meet you.
Are you ready, Richard?
-Yes, sir. -Let's do it.
[sighs]
Anytime you're ready, Richard.
[sighs]
"The growing number of Latinos in America
represents a vast untapped market for Frito-Lay."
[person coughs]
"Did you know that there are more Latinos in the United States than in Australia?"
Of course there are.
No, um. [chuckles]
Nah, that's not-- I meant that, um--
Did you know that there are more Latinos in the United States
than there are Australians in Australia?
[executive] Mmm. All right. I see.
Pretty sure there's more Mexicans in this room than in Australia.
[laughing]
Clarence, can you get the light, please?
[sighs]
Listen, gentlemen, no offense…
but our shelves are boring.
People, my people, they're tired of the same old flavors.
See, I grew up with a lot of flavors,
and I've been searching for that taste in everything I buy ever since.
I want a food that tastes like home.
[bag rustling]
This is it.
Everything I grew up with, in a bag.
Chile chips.
And if you put this out there, you'll see that there's this whole market
that no one else is paying attention to.
Us, la gente.
And what about market share? How much would your, uh, "product" yield?
-According to you. -Um…
[thinking] What the F is market share?
That wasn't in the books.
Or maybe it was. It was a lot of books.
Um…
This much.
This much market share.
[executives laughing]
You know what?
I don't know what market share is
because I don't sit up in no corporate office wearing a suit.
Like, I'm down here with mi gente,
and here's what I know about 'em.
They're looking for themselves on those shelves.
They wanna know that the food that they eat at home is valued by you.
That we matter.
I wanna know that I matter when I pick up one of our products.
To you, to this company, to the world.
So put this chili slurry on Doritos, Fritos, popcorn, anything.
Because, at the end of the day, it's how we make them feel.
If we knew that there was a product out there for us,
we'd say, "Take all our money, cabrones."
[executives murmuring]
Oof, I got a little hood there at the end, but…
Gentlemen… [sighs]
…did you know we could get this much more market share?
-Did you? -[chuckling]
Thank you, Richard.
You have given us a lot to think about here.
Uh, sir, I got--
I got some more graphs and stuff that I can show you.
Sir, R & D already has a spicy product in the Midwest,
and it's testing just fine.
Just fine? I aim to do better than "just fine," James.
Have McCormick send the spicy seasonings here.
I have a good feeling about this man.
He may not know about market trends,
but he knows about people, and that's where I always put my money.
Let's see what he can do with it.
Sir, the resources required for it to pivot so quickly--
James, looks like you have some work to do.
[Lonny] Do we wanna finish the tour?
-[Judy] He's here, baby! Go! -[Richard shouts]
-[Lucky] Dad! -[Richard grunts] Hey!
-[Judy] How was it? -[Richard] Great.
-[Lucky] Did you tell them about me? -[Richard] Of course I told them.
Enrico wanted to test the market with 5,000 cases.
[Richard] The next few months were a blur.
I did it, man. I got my shot.
Well, it's not Judy's, but it will do.
First one off the line.
You did good.
[Richard] I was the guy with initiative, and this was my magnum opus.
Judy taught me that phrase.
[James] As I suspected, the product isn't selling, so we're pulling it.
They haven't been on the market long enough.
Mr. Montañez, product's not moving.
Simple as that.
Mr. Finley, I was just wondering, how many cases have we moved so far?
[James] I don't have that information in front of me.
But we can't continue to invest in Richard's strategies at this rate.
What strategies?
You haven't even let me do anything!
Like, are you even targeting all the Latino cities?
We're everywhere! Pacoima. Montebello.
Of course, Mr. Montañez.
And no one in your market is responding to it.
[Lonny] Uh, sir, Mr. Finley, could-- could we just get one more week?
I mean, that-that-that's all we're asking.
[Clarence] Hey! What is it? What happened?
[Richard] They're not moving the product.
They're killing it. They're gonna shut us down.
Like, who'd I think I was?
I'm a nobody.
Pretending like I could do something was stupid.
Oh, wait a minute.
You find out that the product's not moving,
so you decide that you're an idiot and can't do nothin'?
[Richard scoffs]
[Clarence] Figure out the next step.
Yeah, what next step?
There's no next step for guys like us.
If there was a next step, you would've had Lonny's job a long time ago.
All right, all right.
You ain't wrong.
But did I let that stop me from being the best damn worker here?
Did this place stop you
from having the balls to pick up the phone and call Roger Enrico?
Yeah, but then I embarrassed myself.
Embarrassment's never stopped you before.
Ask questions. You wore my ass out with 'em.
Look here, the person I met ten years ago wouldn't blink.
He'd find a way, any way, to get it done.
I don't wanna look you up in 20 years from now
just to find out you're still down here on the bottom.
Step up!
Baby, can't you just call Enrico?
Calling Enrico is what got me in this mess in the first place.
Clarence is right.
I gotta figure this out.
[Richard sighs]
-[Steven] Apá. -[Judy] What's wrong, baby?
[Lucky] He got scared.
Oh, you don't need to be scared.
The power just went out.
Plus, your dad's gonna take care of everything.
I think I know why it's not selling.
-What do you mean? -[Lucky] The Cheetos.
They didn't tell anyone it exists.
There's no commercials, but there's commercials for everything.
Cookie Crisp, Sega, but none for Hot Cheetos.
I didn't see none.
[Richard] Hmm.
[sighs]
Wait.
Let's buy a commercial.
I know it's not a lot, but it's a start.
[Richard] This little mocoso was giving me his lunch money,
his recycling money, everything.
And I wasn't gonna take it.
All right.
But I was gonna take his idea.
Hey! I'm gonna get your job back, big dog!
But I need your help.
Little busy here, bro.
[speaking Spanish]
[Diego, in English] This way, Mrs. Romero.
I got an idea, but I need you guys to do what you do best.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
A little guerrilla marketing.
Man, these fools didn't have no business degrees,
but they could sell condoms to a nun.
They could close a hundred sales in a day.
- They move product like G's. -["La Raza" playing]
♪ Cruising in the calle Headed for the bolo ♪
♪ No one to go with me So I had to go solo ♪
♪ And when I go out alone, I'm packed ♪
♪ I don't sweat the chavales When I know that I'm strapped ♪
♪ If it gets out of hand I know some mafiosos ♪
♪ Who can pull out cuetes On some stupid ass babosos ♪
♪ Sitting there wondering What's happened, qué pasa ♪
♪ Yeah, this is for the Raza ♪
[Richard] Hey, stick around!
[Tony] Everybody, come here! Come close! Bring it in!
[gangster] Come on in!
- Oigan! Listen up! -Hector! Alejandro!
-[Tony] Gino! -[Richard whistles]
[Tony] Come on, everybody.
-I like your hairnet. Firme. -[Tony] Come on!
[song ends]
I got something to say! Everybody needs to hear this!
[Lonny groans] Montañez.
That is not safe or sanitary. Get down from there right now.
Back up. Not today. Okay, Lonny?
Not today.
Yeah, I was backing up.
Corporate's killing the product.
-What? -Aw, man.
[Richard] No. I know! I know!
But it's not because the people don't love it.
If people knew it existed, it would be huge.
Like, yeah, we can let it die.
We can let the factory get shut down…
[workers muttering]
…or we can pick ourselves up and show 'em who we are.
I ain't got no fancy degrees.
None of us do.
We don't need 'em,
because people like us,
like you and me,
we're what makes this whole thing run.
None of this exists if we don't exist.
Let's show 'em that we won't be buried.
Shut up, Montañez! You trying to get us all fired?
Hey! Let the man speak.
Go on, brother.
[Richard] I'm not trying to get you fired.
I'm asking you to save your job.
Because if we don't, that's it for all of us.
And this product doesn't only have the Montañez name on it.
It's got the Romero name.
-Morales. -Hey.
Baker.
-Listen. -And Carson.
Enrico believes that we're what make this company special.
So we can sit around like a bunch of huevones …
or we can stand up and be great.
What exactly are you asking for here, Montañez?
I need all the product that didn't sell loaded up into the trucks.
Everyone who's got the time,
before or after your shifts, whatever it takes.
We're gonna distribute it. We're gonna get it out to our people.
[factory workers murmuring]
Well, you heard the man!
Get up, line up, and let's get this product on those trucks. Let's go!
-[workers clamoring] -[grunts] Ándele!
["Mexican Power" playing]
-[Richard] Let's load up! -[Tony] Let's move.
[Richard] Hey, Hector, get the truck! Let's go!
Take that.
♪ Mexican Power! That's the name of this cut, man ♪
[Richard] Grab a box!
Everybody, come on in! We're gonna load up all the cars!
[Clarence] Move down the line.
Here we go! Here we go!
[Clarence] Drop the box. Go get another one.
-Pack them in there tight, guys. -[Richard] Here you go.
[Clarence] Drop a box.
-Get back in and get another one. -[Tony] More boxes on this side!
[Lonny] Can I?
♪ But don't come crying Saying I didn't warn you ♪
Wow.
♪ Cause it's dead on your face The power of my race… ♪
[all chattering]
-[Richard speaking Spanish] -[Judy, in English] Thank you, hon.
[Richard] What's up?
-Hi, mama. -Hey, can I have one?
[people speaking Spanish]
[in English] Here's another one. Tell all your family too.
[seller] Cheetos! Get 'em. Get your Cheetos!
-Hey, my son made those. -You must be proud, eh?
[Vacho] Yeah, tell your friends.
-You're gonna love them. -[Tony] Get your Flamin' Hot Cheetos!
[Richard] Hey! Flamin' Hot Cheetos!
[speaking Spanish]
[in English] Big sister.
The convenience store.
-Enjoy. -Bro, check it out!
[in English] Hot Cheetos!
[Lucky] Guys, guys! Come here! Come here! Hot Cheetos.
-Guys, guys. Hey, wait up. Hot Cheetos. -Hot Cheetos. Come here.
-Here, here! Take 'em. -Hey, thank you, little man.
Thanks.
-[Judy] Hey, guys. Try these. -[Richard] Excuse me.
[Judy] So good. Try these.
Hey. We just made these. They're Cheetos with chile on them. You gotta try 'em.
-Are you serious? -Yeah, they're crazy.
-Your kids are gonna love 'em. -Thank you.
Here! Tell all your homegirls.
♪ Mexican Power! That's the name of this cut, man ♪
Hey! Hold up. Hold up. Hold Up.
Hey, we got something for you to try. The next one you gotta buy, all right?
What I say?
What I say? I said, one bag each.
One bag each. We ain't trying to waste it.
-Let 'em enjoy it. What's up? -[Tony] Call 'em back.
Right here!
[customer] Hey, watch it!
♪ And if you don't believe me fool Well that's on you ♪
♪ But don't come crying Saying I didn't warn you ♪
♪ Cause it's dead on your face The power of my race… ♪
[Richard] They're obsessed.
They're my new favorite.
They're so good.
[in English] Cheetos con chile.
They're flamin' hot.
[mouthing words]
♪ Maybe the blind could visualize Where I'm coming from… ♪
Can I get a bag?
[Richard] Maybe it looked like a bunch of Mexicans hustling the streets
to move a few bags, but the truth was,
we were mobilizing the Hispanic market before we even knew what it was.
All right!
♪ …Is called Mexican Power ♪
-[song ends] -[Richard] So Enrico wanted answers.
"How are you gonna explain this, fool?
How's Hot Cheetos got more love on it than your ruca has got vatos on her, ese?"
Finley was shitting his pants. So he was like,
"Man, I don't know what you're talking about, homes.
I ain't never heard of none of these tonterías ."
But Al Carey wasn't having it. So he got super gangster and was like,
"Oh, yeah, you little chavala ?
Yo, Patti, how much lana did this fool put into the product?"
Man, even Patti was pissed. [Richard, in Spanish]
[in English] And then Enrico went OG on 'em.
"You ain't never gonna eat another Cheeto in your life.
You dig, carnal ?"
[Richard chuckles]
Nah, I'm just playin'. It didn't go down like that.
You think these fools had that in them? Chale.
Here's the latest sales report on Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
Whoa, Finley. How much money did you put into this?
-Why? -Because Southern California's blowing up.
Hmm. That-- That's a blip.
Look, uh, sir, why on earth are we still wasting time
on this janitor's crazy ideas?
You still think I'm investing in a janitor?
Finley, come on.
I'm investing in a vision.
The Hispanic market is the future, and this man is going to lead us there.
Better get on board, buddy.
Compré doughnut.
Of course you did, flaco.
[machine buzzing]
[Richard] Mmm.
[phone ringing]
Maintenance, can I help you?
[on phone] Richard? It's Roger Enrico.
Hello, sir.
[Roger] We're gonna need more cases.
Oh-- Yeah-- Okay. [stammers]
Yes, sir. Like, how many? Like, 5,000?
[Roger] Mmm. No, Richard. Five million.
We're gonna need five million.
Not playing, are you?
[Roger] No, Richard.
Yes, sir. Um, right away, sir.
Thank you.
[Richard shouts]
Yeah!
-[machine buzzing] -All lines go.
All lines go!
[beeping]
[Richard] Things finally got back to normal at the factory.
We all had our shifts back.
[Clarence] Hey!
[chuckles]
-They called? -They called.
And?
You're now looking at the new plant manager in Bakersfield.
-Oh! -Yeah!
Oh, yeah! Man, they should have made you damn president, brother.
Well, you're not wrong. [chuckles]
They say anything about me?
But they will.
They will.
You'll see.
Hey, Montañez. I need you to head up to room C on six.
I need it cleaned out ASAP.
Actually, no.
I'm not gonna do anything until I get an interview for the machinist gig.
Look, you're on the clock.
Just do the job you got, and I'll see what I can do. Please.
[factory workers chattering]
Ah, hello, Richard.
Mr. Enrico, what are you-- What are you doing here?
Ah, I was in town for a convention, where I told them about your story.
They loved it.
-Course, I told the shit out of it… -[chuckles]
…'cause it's a story I know very well, Richard.
You know, I ran around the mines of small-town Chisholm, Minnesota
when I was a snot-nosed Italian kid,
who had dreams bigger than what that place could contain.
The thing is, Richard,
visionaries can't be contained.
And a smart person doesn't try to contain them.
In fact, smarter guys, like us, invest in vision.
So I'm thinking it's a good idea…
to invest in yours.
-I-I don't-- I don't understand. -What do you say?
You wanna join us?
And show us the big plans you have for marketing to your community?
Um. [sighs]
I had to kick a little ass to get the Ñ on there for you.
[both laugh]
Wow, I--
For real?
[Tony] Richie!
-[workers cheering, applauding] -[Nacho] Órale. Let's go, Richie!
[cheering, applauding continues]
Way to go, baby! East-siders, baby!
[whoops]
[cheering, applauding continues]
[chuckles]
[chuckles] I got ya!
[worker whoops]
[chuckles]
[Richard] This part… This part was finally real.
[employee on PA] Customer service, line 217.
[phone rings]
Hello, and thank you for calling Target Warehouse.
This is Judy. How can I help you?
Hey, Jude. It's me.
[Judy] Hey, baby. What's up? [grunts]
We're gonna need more ties.
Oh, my God.
[cries]
I'm so proud of you. [sobs]
[Richard] Well, you see, in this world, there's no such thing as just a janitor.
There's no such thing as just a waiter.
[speaking Spanish]
[Richard, in English] No such thing as just a busboy.
Thank you so much.
[Richard] There's no such thing as just a valet.
No such thing as just a gardener, mechanic, maid.
Because we all write our own stories. We create our own destinies.
-Thank you, brother. - Gracias.
[Richard] And you think I was gonna let someone else steal mine?
[chuckles] Nah. Never.
["The Fire Inside" playing]
♪ Oh, oh You got places to go ♪
♪ You're not always this slow ♪
♪ Oh, no, no, no, no, no ♪
♪ They will tell you you're crazy ♪
♪ They will call you a fool ♪
♪ They will think they can stop you ♪
♪ But there's no stopping you ♪
♪ They can't put out What you got inside you ♪
♪ No way to put out the flame ♪
♪ Nothing can hold you back ♪
♪ No one can kill your vibe ♪
♪ That's right ♪
♪ When you got the fire inside ♪
♪ Oh, you're gonna own this life ♪
♪ That's right ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire inside ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire You got the fire ♪
♪ Oh, the fire ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire inside ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ You're gonna do it your way ♪
♪ Gonna change up the game ♪
♪ You got no time to waste ♪
♪ No making no excuses ♪
-♪ Nah ♪ -♪ You are here making moves ♪
♪ You were made for the hustle ♪
♪ Born to break the rules ♪
♪ They can't put out What you got inside you ♪
♪ No way ♪
♪ They'll never stop you ♪
♪ Nothing can hold you back ♪
♪ No one can kill your vibe ♪
♪ That's right ♪
♪ When you got the fire inside ♪
♪ Oh, you're gonna own this life ♪
♪ That's right ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire inside ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire You got the fire ♪
♪ Oh, the fire ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire inside ♪
♪ 'Cause you got the fire inside you ♪
[song ends]