California Schemin’ opens in 2003, and centering around Dundee-based real-life rappers Billy Boyd (Samuel Bottomley – The Teacher Series 1, Ghost Stories) and Gavin Bain (Seamus McLean Ross), sending demos to record companies, and getting nowhere.
Similarly, the London auditions coming up for a music competition doesn’t quite go to plan, when they’re dubbed the “rapping Proclaimers”, hence it’s time to change tack and pretend they’re from California, re-recording their tunes “in American”, call themselves Silibil and Brains, and send new demos off, which leads to an upturn in things.
However, despite sounding not unreasonable, and a bit like Eminem, when they sneak into a club and pretend to be a famous band as they go onstage, it makes you wonder how long before it all comes crashing down, as indicated when Billy’s better half, Mary (Lucy Halliday), chips in:
- Mary: “None of this is real. You do know that?”
- Billy: “What part?”
- Mary: “All of it.”
Their blag is big, especially when we see them getting on to MTV, but despite being based on a true story, such a film is not an original idea, but James McAvoy – both as first-time director and as music exec Anthony Reid – carries this out brilliantly, and this is well worth a trip to the cinema.
Just a shame the useless and unfunny James Corden also pops up briefly.
There’s no proper mid- nor post-credit scenes as such, but the early part of the credits show a few clips of the real Gavin and Billy.
California Schemin is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 107 minutes
Release date: April 10th 2026
Studio: Studiocanal UK
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 8/10
Director: James McAvoy
Producers: Paul Aniello, Simon Kay, Michael Mendelsohn, Danny Page
Screenplay: Elaine Gracie, Archie Thomson
Music: Raffertie
Cast:
Billy Boyd: Samuel Bottomley
Gavin Bain: Seamus McLean Ross
Mary Boyd: Lucy Halliday
Anthony Reid: James McAvoy
Amy: Amber Anderson
Music exec: James Corden
Simon: Sonny Poon Tip
Tessa: Rebekah Murrell
Hayley: Jennifer Winn
Malcolm: John Scougall
Proof: Elijah Cook
Ned Boy: Cameron McSwan
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.