UF Summer Film Series – Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story

For two guys who do not consider themselves professional filmmakers, Nick Lewis and Ranko Tutulugdzija have put together an impressive rookie effort with Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story.

I had the pleasure of attending the sold-out screening of the film’s New York debut last night at the famous TriBeCa cinemas during the second night of the 3rd annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival. Regular UF readers already know the saga of the film itself, which faced an uphill battle to gain licensing rights to the various soccer footage the directors felt they needed to tell the story.

Beans : DeMerit :: Spinach : Popeye

I had the chance to ask Nick and Ranko why the footage was so important especially if, as they claimed, this was to be more of a “human story” than a soccer film.

They suggested that the footage would help a non-soccer fan understand the journey better, as Jay moves from pub-league football in front of 20 fans to the heights of the EPL and World Cup. “Soccer is the vehicle,” says Lewis, “which helps bring the story out.”

Now that the rights to that footage has been secured, the final hurdle for the two directors is to figure out how to get the film to a larger audience. There has been a lot of interest according to Tutulugdzija but the two hope to decide soon what the best next direction is for their film.

So even while how viewers might be able to catch the film remains up in the air, allow me to strongly suggest that, if possible, fans of soccer (and film too) check out Rise and Shine.

The opening of the film sets up Jay’s upbringing in Wisconsin, the land of football of the pigskin variety. We get testimony from Jay’s family and friends and insight into why after college he decides to make the leap across the Atlantic.

Largely ignored by pro teams here in the states, Jay takes that jump on the advice of his English friend Kieren Keane and the two then spend a largely disappointing year traveling Europe (mostly Britain) hoping to get trials with clubs and generally keeping fit by playing in any game that would have them.

After biding their time in Sunday Pub Leagues the two begin to have a bit more success until an exhibition match against Watford, in which Jay impresses, lands him his big break.

The rest of the story is readily available to anyone who wishes to seek it out, but fans of the USMNT already know the heights to which DeMerit was able to rise.

For me, the filmmakers were able to set the right tone throughout almost the entire movie. The juxtaposition of DeMerit’s Packers-mad surroundings and his budding soccer stardom is a good way to set him up as the underdog for the remainder of the film. DeMerit is also a very affable personality and very easy to root for.

The humor of some of the testimonials (many from DeMerit himself) also serve to illustrate the player’s optimism and ability to grin and bear whatever setbacks came his way. There were some legitimate laughs packed into this film.

Short interjections explaining the world of soccer, specifically the English football pyramid, will also be welcome to non-soccer fans without talking down to more passionate fans of the sport

What perhaps didn’t work quite as well for me was the film’s pacing. The real meat of the story was the part where Jay couldn’t afford meat. Eating beans and toast and living on a floor doing odd-jobs and hopping trains to get to trials like a modern-day soccer hobo, it seems that while seeking to tell an upbeat tale of human triumph, we lose or gloss over some of the darker moments that could have made those eventual highs soar even more.

There is also a lack of closure for what is really the driving relationship of the film, that of DeMerit and his friend Keane. While DeMerit’s career takes off, his friend continued to languish a bit in the lower leagues and the film ultimately leaves him by the wayside.

I totally get that the filmmakers were focused on Jay’s story first and foremost, but I think following that angle and fleshing it out a bit more again could have served the film well.

I also feel that, while the World Cup is indeed the pinnacle of a footballers career, it didn’t necessarily have to be the pinnacle of this movie. This was a rough cut of the film without some of the WC footage that may have spruced up the finale a bit but I feel that culminating in DeMerit’s rise to the EPL would have worked just as well, if not better, from a film standpoint.

James T, who also caught the screening, described it as “uneven” which I think adequately sums up my major criticism of the film.

With that said, Lewis and Tutulugdzija take what they consistently describe as “a story that needed to be told” and tell it ably. The film does justice to its primary subject and will definitely please those looking for a true underdog story with a happy ending. 

With a bit more polish (which the filmmakers have promised) what is already a great story could become a great film.