Get rich or try lying.
In the late 1990s, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd had their musical ambitions consistently ridiculed for having the 'wrong' accents, so they went for broke and reinvented themselves as Californian rappers. The duo re-recorded their own tracks with fake accents and turned up in London claiming to be an established duo on the Cali scene as well as childhood friends with Eminem. They quickly bagged themselves a record deal, a hefty sum in advances, and an appearance on MTV... until it all came crashing down.
California Schemin' (2026) is a music, comedy and drama film directed by James McAvoy, released on April 10, 2026 with a runtime of 1h 47m. It stars Séamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday and Rebekah Murrell. Viewers rate it 5.9 out of 10 across 7 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for California Schemin' before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for California Schemin'.
Trailer
Teaser
Teaser
Clip
Clip
Clip
Featurette
Featurette
Séamus McLean Ross
as Gavin Bain
Samuel Bottomley
as Billy Boyd
Lucy Halliday
as Mary Boyd
Rebekah Murrell
as Tessa
James McAvoy
as Anthony
Jennifer Winn
as Hayley
David Witts
as Jez Barton
Sonny Poon Tip
as Simon
Amber Anderson
as Amy
Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong
as Bouncer
Nick Preston
as Craig
James Harkness
as Graham
Directed by James McAvoy, written by Archie Thomson and Gavin Bain, produced by Guy J. Louthan, Danny Page and Michael Mendelsohn.
Average viewer score of 5.9/10 from 7 ratings.
Based very loosely on a true story (or lie!), this tells the story of two Dundonian rappers - Gavin (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy (Samuel Bottomley) - as they strive to escape the mundanity of their call-centre jobs and take their own earthy brand of street-poetry to an unreceptive music industry. They have tried all of the traditional methods of getting noticed, but it is now at the point where even record…
Reviewed on April 15, 2026
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California Schemin' (2026) is currently available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video and Sky Store. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of California Schemin' (2026) includes Séamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday, Rebekah Murrell and James McAvoy. The film was directed by James McAvoy. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
California Schemin' was released on April 10, 2026 and runs for 1h 47m.
California Schemin' (2026) holds an average rating of 5.9 out of 10 from 7 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy music, comedy and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official California Schemin' trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
