Dir: James McAvoy, UK/US, 2025, 107 mins

Cast: Séamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday

Review by .Carol Allen

This high energy directing debut of James McAvoy, a Scot himself is, perhaps predictably, a Scottish tale, being based on the true life story of Dundee rapper duo Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who at the height of the rap boom in the early 2000s found fame and then disgrace by posing as a Californian act called Silibil N’ Brains.

A humble duo with big dreams, Gavin (Séamus McLean Ross) and Billy (Samuel Bottomley) along with Billy’s girlfriend Mary (Lucy Halliday) work in call centre in Dundee. Gavin is the dominant one of the duo, Billy more laid back and focused on Mary. However after a humiliating audition in London, where they are mocked for their Scottish accents, they come up with the idea of creating their new identity and exposing the narrowminded prejudice of the music industry. However when their act really takes off and fame and fortune beckon, indeed arrive, principle goes out of the window – until inevitably the truth comes out and they are exposed.

As well as directing McAvoy also takes a supporting role as the record producer who takes them on, thinking he’s on to a good thing and turns very cold on the duo, when he finds out the truth.

I personally never “got” rap until Eminem in the film 8 Mile made it all clear to me – though mainly through the fact that he spoke some of the lyrics and I could understand them. No such luck with Silibil N’ Brains however. When doing their act they could have been singing in Russian for all I knew. Having said that though, as rap acts go it’s very high energy, professional and rather good. Which led me to wonder why, when their deception came out, their lives and careers collapsed? With the right PR handling, it could have been turned into a plus for Scottish talent. Talented Scottish lads who fooled the world because their act was so good. Even better than the Yanks. Still that wasn’t how it happened, so we stick to the true story.

The film moves at a good pace, sometimes perhaps too pacy and is predictably very loud. Comparatively new faces McLean Ross and Bottomley acquit themselves well while Lucy Halliday as Mary and Rebekah Murrell as Tessa, a record company employee who risks her career for Gavin, are both rather impressive too. As a debut director McAvoy has also given good chances to four promising young actors.