“One song. One chance. The right people are listening.”
You would be forgiven if you weren’t immediately familiar with the songs of the rap band known as Silibil N’ Brains. The duo never made it to the top of the charts, nor did they tour around the world proving they were the next Eminem. But for a short amount of time in the early 2000s, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd were the hottest American rappers London and the whole of the United Kingdom had ever laid their ears on.
That is for one tiny bit of detail: Gavin and Billy actually hail from Dundee, Scotland.
“California Schemin’,’” which had its premiere Saturday at the Toronto International Film Festival with first-time director James McAvoy introducing the film, tells Gavin (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy’s (Samuel Bottomley) unlikely story. From humble beginnings working at a cable internet sales company, the boys dreamed of being the world’s greatest rappers. Appearing on MTV with a hit record was the ultimate goal, but who would take two kids from a small town in Scotland seriously in the days of Eminem and D12?
If movies like “Straight Outta Compton” and “8 Mile” have taught us anything, it’s that the most successful rappers tend to have a story. Record labels often promote their artists’ unique backgrounds as a way to sell their music, frequently highlighting experiences of surviving police injustice or poverty at a young age, for example. But Billy and Gavin don’t have stories to tell, except for the one they made up.
After not being taken seriously in front of record label executives at an open audition for new rappers in London, Gavin and Billy come up with a brilliant idea to pretend to be Americans who are touring Europe with their distinctive rap stylings. Billy, with a bad blonde dye job, now fronting as “Silibil,” and Gavin as “Brains,” the two devise fake American accents based on famous American-made movies and movie quotes, reciting them to one another ad nauseam. After they con their way onto a London club stage, they present themselves as Silibil N’ Brains, an American rap duo that no one has ever heard of.
They wow the crowd, including a record label assistant who happens to be in attendance at the club that night. Her comments that the boys are “weird, but it works” send sounds of joy through their heads as their life seems about to change. Before they know it, Silibil N’ Brains are the talk of London, signing a low-level record deal with Neotone’s executive (McAvoy) and preparing for their first album.
As the lies begin to grow exponentially along with Gavin’s reluctance to give up their new lifestyle, small amount of fame, and drugs, Billy becomes despondent. Their original plan to expose the music industry for its prejudice against small-town Scottish folks like themselves is thwarted by Gavin, who can’t let go of their newfound success. Even if it means breaking up their friendship, breaking up Billy and his girlfriend, or even breaking up the band…Gavin is all in.
But when will the world finally know the truth about who these boys really are?
“California Schemin’” gets dark about halfway through Gavin and Billy’s journey to the top, even as the duo reaches heights unseen by young artists of their generation. What starts as a comedy film based on a true story evolves into a tragic drama of broken brotherhood, convoluted business dealings, and tarnished reputations. As the real-life story goes, Silibil N’ Brains are, in fact, found out to be the deceivers they’ve always been, but watching all of the elements of their lies unfold is what makes this movie engrossing.
James McAvoy has a future in directing if the “X-Men” star wants it, clearly defined by a story from his native Scotland that feels personal and entertaining. But the real MVP of “California Schemin’” is actor Séamus McLean Ross, who takes Gavin from an anxious young man with talent to a drug-infused rapper desperately in need of some rehabilitation. The chemistry between McLean Ross and Bottomley is electric, led by McLean Ross’s determination to make Gavin a fully realized character.
Any premise that begins with a lie is destined to come crashing down at a given time. But McLean Ross and Bottomley’s energy and charisma on screen make “California Schemin’” and the true story behind the movie’s magic seem plausible. Director McAvoy is skilled at honing in on the details, never wavering in his ambition to tell a small tale about friendship, its pitfalls, and the lies that result in hurting others.
Catch up on all of TheWrap’s TIFF coverage here.
