California Schemin’

In the early 2000s, before TikTok virality and algorithmic fame, there was a potential different route to stardom: invent an entirely new identity and hope nobody notices. That, more or less, is the true story behind California Schemin’, the directorial debut of James McAvoy. It’s a scheme so unhinged it doesn’t need much embellishment, though the film, inevitably, shapes the chaos of real life into something a little neater, smoothing out some of the edges in favour of conventional underdog-story beats.

Best mates Gavin Bain (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley) are aspiring rappers from Dundee with a familiar problem: talent alone isn’t enough. In a music scene obsessed with credibility, their thick Scottish accents mark them as novelties rather than contenders. So they do what any sensible young artists might do: adopt American accents, invent Californian backstories, and relaunch themselves as the fictitious rap duo Silibil N’ Brains. Cue clumsy accent practice, montage sequences, and the occasional snort of disbelief from those closest to them, especially Billy’s girlfriend Mary (Lucy Halliday), who is the lone naysayer to an increasingly elaborate deception.

Against all logic, the plan works. A few accent tweaks and some swagger later, the pair are suddenly being taken seriously by London record-label executives. What begins as an attempt to expose the music industry’s shallow obsession with image soon gathers momentum. As the attention grows, the lie becomes harder to abandon and Gavin in particular begins to let ambition overshadow friendship.

McAvoy directs with an appealing lack of fuss. There’s nothing flashy on screen, but he captures the texture of working-class friendship and small-town ambition with warmth. The Dundee scenes in particular have a loose, affectionate energy, grounded by the easy chemistry between Ross and Bottomley. Their double act is the film’s strongest asset: Bottomley’s Billy is the cautious realist, while Ross’ Gavin grows increasingly intoxicated by the promise of fame. That shift gives the film a brief darker edge, where it hints at the psychological toll of living inside a lie.

California Schemin’ rarely strays far from the familiar rhythms of the music biopic: struggle, breakthrough, excess, fallout. For a story this strange, the storytelling does feel overly conventional. Yet the film remains a buoyant watch. The performances are lively, the pacing brisk, and the satire of an industry obsessed with “authenticity” lands neatly enough. McAvoy may not reinvent the genre with his first outing behind the camera, but he proves himself a capable storyteller with an instinct for comedy and tone. It’s a little scrappy and thoroughly predictable, but undeniably a hoot while it lasts.