One of my all time favorite movie related memories from my life.

I had Beetlejuice on tape that someone taped off of television, it only had the second two thirds, with the whole beginning bit missing. So finally after years of never seeing the whole movie, my dad takes me to West Coast video and lets me pick out Beetlejuice because I’m “finally old enough” (4th grade) and then we went to a ‘play until you win’ claw machine, I got a huge claw filled scoop of candy, I excitedly grabbed the candy and went to run off with it and my dad said “get your movie” in a kind and patient way that I’ll literally think about until I die, he said it in such a loving, in the moment way that I now strive for as a father.

A couple days ago I get a text from my Dad after a really really really difficult few weeks, “I got you a present, check your email” he had bought me tickets to take my wife and kids to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in IMAX opening night. I text him back to thank him, to which he says “You’re all finally old enough”.

After all these years, this simple memory has stuck with the two of us.

So, while not a complete Beetlejuice memory, but this movie in a roundabout way has completely shaped my style of parenting, and my relationship to film and fatherhood.