Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: The directorial debut of “X-Men” star James McAvoy, “California Schemin’” is based on the true story of a Scottish hip hop act who pretended to be American to get a record deal.

CAST: Séamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday, James Corden, Rebekah Murrell. Directed by James McAvoy.

REVIEW: “California Schemin’” is a rowdy, stranger-than-fiction music bio that provides tons of fun but is also a cautionary tale of the toxic side of ambition.

The story of Billy “Silibil” Boyd (Samuel Bottomley) and Gavin “Brains” Bain (Séamus McLean Ross), two Scottish B-boys with a shared love of hip hop and skateboard culture, begins with a failed audition for a London talent show. They bare incensed when talent reps laugh them off the stage who call them “the rapping Proclaimers.”

Flat broke but determined to perform, they create an American persona, despite never having been to the States. Renaming themselves Silibil N’ Brains and dropping their Scottish accents in favor of some vaguely Valley Girl affectation, they claim to be from someplace called San Diangeles. “You actually sound American,” says Mary (Lucy Halliday). “You sound, like, entitled!”

Their new image catches the eye of a record label run by a guy (James McAvoy) who thinks they could be the next Beastie Boys or Eminem. “We’ll release a single and then we’ll come out fully Scottish and expose those wankers.”

Introduced to the world of studio sessions, appearances on MTV and groupies, success comes quickly, but their faux American dream quickly unravels. Fame and money put a wedge between the two friends as Gavin embraces he trappings of the music biz in a way that endangers Billy’s real love, his girlfriend Mary.

The well documented story—both in the documentary “The Great Hip Hop Hoax” and Gavin’s memoir—“California Schemin’” is a gritty music bio about identity and image that succeeds through its exuberance and engaging lead performances.

As the duo who Trojan Horsed themselves into the record biz, Ross and Bottomley are a boisterous pair. Underdogs who’ll do almost anything to get a leg up, they have great chemistry and which raises the stakes when things begin to sour between them.

“California Schemin’” falters here and there—a James Cordon cameo as a music executive doesn’t work well—and the ending doesn’t bring the intended feelgood vibe, but overall, with its infectious working-class spirit à la “Wild Rose,” it succeeds.