Gettin’ high livin’ the lie in fun ‘Schemin”

    The music industry is littered with scammers, from infamous lip-syncers Milli Vanilli and Ashley Simpson to a multitude of manufactured A.I. acts, to the most daring subterfuge of all: Silibil N’ Brains. What separates the latter from the rest is that Billy “Silibil” Boyd and Gavin “Brains” Bain actually had talent, as revealed in James McAvoy’s impressive directorial debut, “California Schemin’.” 

     The only phony thing about them was their background and nationality, and they faked it out of necessity, not ill intent. And in so doing, exposed a shameful bias on the part of a British record industry that blatantly discriminated against Scottish hip-hop acts simply because of their working-class burr.  

    Frustrated, discouraged and with no chance of making it big as themselves, in 2003 the two lads from Dundee concocted an elaborate ruse to pass themselves off as native Los Angelenos, mastering their California accents by binge-watching “Friends.” Like crafty spies, they also invented and memorized intricate backstories and histories that the folks at Sony Records never bothered to verify before signing them to a lucrative contract. And Silibil N’ Brains might still be going strong if the boys hadn’t crumbled under the stress of having to always be in character. 

     As a Scot, McAvoy has said he experienced some of that same prejudice while breaking into acting, making this his first foray behind the camera somewhat personal. That attachment shows in his affinity for dreamers like Bain and Boyd, who refuse to take no for an answer, even if it means committing fraud against the jerks who laughed at and mocked their demos and auditions. And I think that raised-middle-finger and F.U. attitude is why “California Schemin’” becomes such a definitive crowdpleaser.  

     Well, that, and the excellent performances by Samuel Bottomley as Silibil and Seamus McLean Ross as Brains. They infectiously convey what it’s like to be a working-class nobody one minute and, the next, fill concert halls and appear on the U.K. version of MTV. Just think of it: the women, the booze, the posh pads, the drugs, the women! And, best of all, a chance to open for their heroes, the Eminem darlings, D12.  

    What’s not so great is how manufactured their inevitable decline becomes as lifelong friends predictably turn on one another. You end up wishing McAvoy and writers Elaine Gracie and Archie Thomson had forgone the overly familiar “Behind the Music” arc and dug deeper into the psychological toll of knowing that one slip-up could topple the entire house of cards. A charade that becomes harder to maintain as pressure and exposure mount courtesy of an adoring public and money-hungry record execs.  

   McAvoy lets us experience the exhilarating joy of finally being seen and valued. Two things that rarely happen to two boys from the Dundee projects. You gladly cheer them on, even though you know their chicanery will eventually bring pain and embarrassment to innocents like Boyd’s fiercely loyal girlfriend, Mary (Lucy Halliday), and the duo’s godsend of an A&R rep, Tessa (Rebekah Murrell).  

    You even extend a bit of empathy toward the label’s scary-serious bossman, Anthony Reid, whom McAvoy plays with chilling intensity. He’s great, everybody’s great, but the script disappointingly opts for the tried-and-true when it comes time to moralize over how too much of a good thing will swallow you up, especially as Bain’s unrestrained ambition and love of excess begin to chafe at his less gung-ho partner.  

       I couldn’t help but compare “California Schemin’” to the superior “Kneecap,” which also tells the true story of a hip-hop outfit rising from nothing to fame. But what made that story so much more compelling was that those delinquent boys from West Belfast were fighting to proudly proclaim their Irish identity while Silibil N’ Brains too freely shunned their birthright. It’s a minor quibble, but it renders McAvoy’s slightly overlong tale less satisfying. Still, it’s a solid debut by an actor who has always proven himself fearless in front of the camera. Now, he just needs to display that same temerity behind it.  

Movie review 

California Schemin’ 

Rated: R for language, some drug use and sexual references 

Cast: Seamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, James McAvoy, Lucy Halliday, James Corden and Rebekah Murrell 

Director: James McAvoy 

Writers: Elaine Gracie and Archie Thomson 

Runtime: 107 minutes 

Where: In theaters now (limited); going wider Oct. 16 and 23 

Grade: B