If you enjoy unbelievable true stories, don’t miss California Schemin‘ this weekend. It’s James McAvoy’s first time directing, and it’s about a Scottish rap group that became successful in the early 2000s by pretending to be from America.
To mark the release of California Schemin’ in UK and Irish cinemas this Friday, Digital Spy is offering an exclusive first look at a clip from the movie. You can watch it right here! The scene shows Billy (Samuel Bottomley) and Gavin (Séamus McLean Ross) trying to convince record label boss Anthony Reid (James McAvoy) by making up a story about their lives.
This short preview highlights the strong acting by Bottomley and Ross, who play Silibil N’ Brains. The movie shows how their friendship is strained when their ambitious plan starts to fall apart. As they build their fame on a foundation of lies, will they be brave enough to confess everything on live television?
The film is inspired by Bain’s 2010 autobiography, California Schemin’: How Two Lads from Scotland Conned the Music Industry. Like most movies based on real life, it takes some liberties with the truth, but it’s such a fun and engaging story that you won’t even notice. You’re in for a great ride with California Schemin’.
For the complete story behind this, you can watch the 2013 documentary The Great Hip Hop Hoax, which also features Silibil N’ Brains. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, and a great follow-up to seeing California Schemin’ in theaters this weekend.
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After debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, California Schemin’ had its UK premiere as the closing film of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. Critics love it – it currently has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Even though I’m not a hip-hop fan, the project felt surprisingly personal,” McAvoy explained to BBC News about his first time directing. “I felt like I knew the people featured, having grown up with them.”
I wanted to create something fun, but also something that reflected the experiences of people like me – those from disadvantaged backgrounds with limited opportunities.
It’s rare to see movies made about people from working-class backgrounds, so when I was offered a film that let me tell a story about those communities – a story that was both enjoyable and grounded in genuine struggles and heartbreak – it felt like the perfect project for me. It allowed me to explore everything I’d been wanting to as a filmmaker.
California Schemin’ is released in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday 10 April.
The latest issue of Living Legends, a beautiful, full-color 100-page tribute to Sir David Attenborough, is now available! You can purchase it at newsstands or online.
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2026-04-08 14:19