California Schemin (2025)
3.8 of 5 from 45 ratings
1h 41min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Truth is stranger than fiction in actor James McAvoy's directorial debut. Inspired by the real-life saga of Scottish rap duo Silibil N' Brains, a.k.a. Gavin Bain (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley), the film follows the unexpected journey of two lifelong friends from Dundee who dream of hip-hop super-stardom. There's just one problem: nobody takes two white guys with thick regional accents seriously in the UK's early 2000s rap scene, especially not the London gatekeepers who laugh them out of an audition. Back home and humiliated, the pair hatch a plan so absurd it just might work: they'll reinvent themselves as hard-partying MCs from Southern California complete with fake backstories and convincing-enough American accents. Against all odds - and with sharp commentary on image, identity, and the music industry's obsession with authenticity - they take off, conning even one of the industry's top producers (McAvoy). But keeping up the lie without losing sight of what's real becomes harder as the stakes rise, and as cracks beneath the bravado and between friends begin to widen. - Actors:
- Romany Shaw, James McAvoy, James Corden, Amber Anderson, Samuel Bottomley, Seamus McLean Ross, David Witts, Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong, Sonny Poon Tip, Lucy Halliday, Jennifer Winn, Cameron McSwan, Rebekah Brookes-Murrell, John Scougall, David Goren, Sara Willats, Chloe Anais Hunt, Eireann Devlin, Tony Bittner-Collins, Chris Dixon
- Directors:
- James McAvoy
- Producers:
- Paul Aniello, Simon Kay, Michel Mendelsohn, Danny Page
- Writers:
- Gavin Bain, Billy Boyd, Elaine Gracie, Archie Thomson
- Aka:
- California Schemin'
- Genres:
- Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Music & Musicals, Special Interest