California Schemin’ made its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival to a packed audience. The film follows two Scottish men who pretend to be from California to become famous rappers.
But accents and great music can only get the duo so far. How much lying can two people do before the truth finds them out?
What is California Schemin’ about?
The directorial debut of The Chronicles of Narnia and X-Men actor James McAvoy, California Schemin’ is based on the book of the same name by the erstwhile rappers, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd. In the film, which takes place in the mid-90s Dundee, Gavin (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy (Samuel Bottomley) are dreamers working a boring day job at a broadband call centre. They have no prospects in their native Scotland.
But when Gavin hears of an audition in London, England, the pair manage to scrounge enough money to head down south and take their chance at becoming the next Eminem. At the audition, however, the boys are summarily dismissed before they’ve finished their set. To make things worse, the audition team throw in an insult about the boys being Scottish.
And so begins a hair-brained scheme—if the music industry doesn’t want Scottish singers, why not reinvent themselves as the rapper du jour? Americans. The plan is simple—pretend to be American and get ahead in the industry. Only to pull the rug out from underneath everyone when the time is right. What could possibly go wrong? A lot.
Is California Schemin’ a good music film?
I was surprised at how much music there was in California Schemin’. And I say surprised in a good way. While I do think the rap songs Gavin and Billy sang could have benefited from subtitles, I loved the musicality and the lyrics I did decipher. I found myself bopping to the songs in my seat and cheering for the lads to do well. Because those songs were really good!
But aside from the enjoyable music, there’s an almost old-school, '90s-esque quality to California Schemin’ that I absolutely loved. This film is so well-paced. I cannot believe, in 2025, that I need to make a note about that, but this film didn’t drag once. Every scene started and ended at precisely the right moment, at the very height of tension. The story progressed rapidly but never left the audience wondering if they’d missed something—again, I can’t believe I’m even mentioning these things, but so many films have let me down.
What I absolutely loved about California Schemin’, and it’s something I miss when watching contemporary films, is how McAvoy would just put the camera in front of the actors and let them act. The performances we end up getting as a result are immediate, raw, and believable. There aren’t a million cuts and edits to show every angle—the audience is as much in the moment as the characters are.
Ross and Bottomley bring an easy chemistry that carries this film—without it, California Schemin’ couldn’t have worked. One can absolutely believe that they’ve been mates forever and truly believe in each other’s abilities as rappers. The way they switch between accents, I found commendable, and I do wish I could have found out how they achieved the feat. I’m sure they had dialect coaches, but it seems like quite a task!
The other two actors I want to mention are Lucy Halliday, who plays Mary, Billy’s long-time girlfriend, and Rebekah Murrell, who plays Tessa, Gavin and Billy’s music agent. I love that this film gives so much space to these female characters. So many times, films about musicians or athletes forget about the women around the male leads. But California Schemin’ regularly returns to Mary and makes Tessa’s success a cornerstone of Gavin and Billy’s journeys. Also, I love how sweet Mary is. She’s the duo’s biggest champion, promising to murder any detractors, which I found hilarious and adorable. She’s a darling character, and you can’t help but want the best for her.
And the same goes for how California Schemin’ positions Tessa. She’s the underdog in her company and the boys are her big break. Their success is hers and you desperately want them to do well so Tessa can be recognised for the genius she is. Murrell gives Tessa a vivacious yet approachable personality, making her stand out among the pompous music producers that surround her. She’s a lovely character, but also a lovable character that you only want good things for.
I would honestly like to study this film, because the writing is tight and direction is precise. Between writers Elaine Gracie and Archie Thomson exploring every aspect of the characters, and McAvoy’s excellent timing with every scene, California Schemin’ demonstrates how films can adhere to screenplay rules while still feeling innovative and fresh.
How does California Schemin’ explore Scottish identity?
During the Q&A at TIFF, McAvoy spoke about wanting to use his first directorial opportunity to make a film that was Scottish. Hailing from Scotland himself, McAvoy has played a variety of characters and accents, but going back to his roots was clearly important to him.
And California Schemin’ explores those roots in interesting ways. I don’t want to give away too much because it’s a very subtle but crucial part of the film, but the way Gavin and Billy have differing views about being Scottish, what that means for them and their dreams, and how that evolves in the face of fame—it’s not something I expected to see in this film.
I would have been perfectly happy with a film about two con artists who end up getting a bit too deep into their lies. But while that is definitely the crux of California Schemin’, the reasons why the con is required, and what keeps them from stopping the con, that’s all rooted in their beliefs about their Scottish identity.
While Scottish people are hardly marginalized, the country has had a tough go of things from time to time. That’s not what this film is about—it’s not trying to make the case for Scottish people to be treated any differently than anyone else. What makes California Schemin’ so engaging is that it’s a surprisingly universal story.
Because there are so many people in this world who can’t get opportunities, or are actively denied rights, simply because of where they’re from. This isn’t some aggrandizing reading of a film that’s ostensibly about white rappers trying to make it big. It’s the subtle undercurrent of this film, and I would say, the very heart of this story.
California Schemin’ had its world premiere at TIFF 2025.
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