California Schemin

What if I told you that two young Scottish men pretended to be American so they could have successful rap careers in the 1990s. Sounds too crazy to be true. But it did happen, and it’s all told in California Schemin’

James McAvoy’s directorial debut, California Schemin’ tells the true story of Gavin Bane (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley) as the rap duo Silibil N’ Brains. After being laughed out of business deals due to being Scottish, they decide to fake American accents in order to appeal to record executives.

The chemistry between Ross and Bottomley is electric. They bounce off each other so well and have such grounded interactions with each other. The story is satisfying because these characters were so relatable and realistic. It’s also really funny. The boys have some great banter between themselves and the executives. The music, unsurprisingly, is also really great. The songs they have are super catchy and the big performances they do throughout the film are showstopping. There’s also some fun camerawork with a camcorder that gives this film a little oomph in the personality department.

The story, while true, is a bit cliche. It hits a lot of the same beats as many band biopics: humble beginnings, quick rise to fame, power corruption, arguing with bandmates, cheating on significant others, the breakup, etc. The pacing is a bit off too, as there really isn’t much of a jump between the loveable guys we meet at the beginning of the film to fame obsessed douchebags. The editing is also a bit all over the place. It at times feels like a music video, which would be an interesting stylistic choice. But when you are trying to get the audience to feel emotion towards these characters, it comes off as jarring.

California Schemin’ is a fun time. A wild wide with a lot of unknown talent. Give this one a watch if you just want something not super innovative but has a lot of heart and Scottish spice.