California Schemin' (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
Two Scottish men attempt to con the music industry by posing as an American rap duo.
The story
The film tells the true story of Silibil N' Brains, a rap duo from Dundee who, for three years, pretended to be American in order to be taken seriously by the record industry.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film tells the true story of Silibil N' Brains, a rap duo from Dundee who, for three years, pretended to be American in order to be taken seriously by the record industry. Based on Gavin Bain's 2010 memoir, the story follows the journey of Scottish men who conned the music industry. The film explores their underdog journey, evolving from a playful comedy into a poignant drama.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James McAvoy
- Writers
- Elaine Gracie · writer; Archie Thomson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Samuel Bottomley · Billy "Silibil" Boyd; Séamus McLean Ross · Gavin "Brains" Bain; James McAvoy · Anthony Reid; Lucy Halliday · Mary Boyd; Rebekah Murrell · Tessa; James Corden · a music executive; Jennifer Winn · Hayley
- Genres
- biographical; musical
- Themes
- deception; underdog journey; identity
- Tone and mood
- playful comedy; poignant drama
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; biographical; musical; rap
- Source material / true-story basis
- California Schemin': How Two Lads from Scotland Conned the Music Industry
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics noting its tonal evolution and strong performances. It holds a 96 on Rotten Tomatoes and a 63 on Metacritic.
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a memoir that was later re-printed as Straight Outta Scotland.; James McAvoy has a small role in the film despite directing it.; The film was funded by Screen Scotland.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…