Jon Gustin picks 4 movies to pair with ‘The Tired Dad’
In Pairings, artists and creators pick the movies that complement their latest work.
Jon Gustin is best known as the voice behind @thetireddad, a movement with over two million followers across four platforms. His new book The Tired Dad: 100 Reflections on Showing Up for What Matters Most is available now wherever you get your books!
We asked Jon to pick a few movies that pair well with The Tired Dad. Here’s what he wrote about them.
Interstellar
This will always be at the top of my list because it is about time. The only currency that, once it is gone, we never get back. It shows how our decisions as fathers can be detrimental to the moments we miss, and the bittersweet truth that many of those decisions are sacrifices. We would do anything for our children if it meant they could live a full life. This movie will never not make this grown man cry.
Arrival
I am not huge on sci-fi, but this movie has such a beautiful way of combining non-human entities with deeply human emotion. It captures the truth that even if we knew the tragedies of the future, we would still choose our children every single time. Again, a theme of fleeting time and the importance of savoring every moment we are given.
The Family Man
Top three Christmas movies for me. I watch it every year. A modern It’s a Wonderful Life that highlights the value of family over materialism. It reminds us that success is not always found in a job title or career, but in who is sitting around the dinner table. Changing diapers, date nights, and the magic of Christmas morning. If you have not seen this highly underrated movie, watch it now.
Hook
I am a millennial, and if I did not include at least one ‘90s movie that shaped my childhood, it would be a crime. I watched this movie every day after school for at least a year. There are so many themes of present fatherhood that I did not understand then, but I do now. I also believe that healing your inner child is key to becoming the father your children deserve. At the end of my book, I quote this movie: “To live would be an awfully big adventure.”