You’re vaxxed. Your friends are vaxxed. You made it through Mother’s Day. It’s officially patio season and this one might just shape up to be the best one yet. With patio season comes friends, delicious barbecues, and buzzed afternoons. Quarantine summer is in the past and this one holds the promise of some fun, again… even if only outside and in small groups.

While you’re heating up the grill, cracking open a cold one, and making sure your adorable little heathens don’t break anything on the trampoline. After a year of no socializing, you might be looking for some conversation starters. After all, we don’t know about you but we sort of feel like we’ve forgotten how to interact with others. And, literally, no one cares about your sourdough starter anymore. So, what do you talk about while standing command over the grill, IPA in hand? A little alcohol trivia can go a long way!

Beer And Cocktail Facts

1. Take your beer-drinking seriously? Perhaps you’re a master of zythology or the study of beer.
2. Ever notice cocktail glasses are thicker and heavier at the bottom? It’s to enable the safe in-glass muddling of fruit and herbs for mixed drinks.
3. Beer bottles are brown to keep out UV rays, which can ruin the flavor of your beer.
4. There was once a law, the Code of Hammurabi, that stated that bartenders who watered down beer should be executed.
5. Orson Welles introduced the Negroni to many Americans. He was working in Rome at the time and wrote about it for an Ohio newspaper.
6. James Bond takes his gin and tonic with an entire lime’s worth of juice.
7. Speaking of Bond, the reason he has to give such specific martini instructions is because, simply put, he’s ordering wrong. Martinis are stirred. A shaken drink with the same ingredients is actually called a Bradford.
8. Think your state is the drunkest state? The top five states with the highest beer consumption are New Hampshire, Montana, Vermont, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
9. You know what a speakeasy is (a Prohibition-era secret bar), but do you know how speakeasies got their name? It came from the concept of speaking easy, or quietly, so as not to be caught.
10. The Paloma is the most popular cocktail in Mexico, not the margarita.
11. America’s biggest day for beer sales? Independence Day!
12. Beer helped in the discovery of oxygen. (Before then, we all held our breaths.)
13. You probably already know Ernest Hemingway was lush (to put it mildly), but did you know he invented a cocktail? It was a mix of Absinthe and Champagne called, “Death In The Afternoon.”

Whiskey Facts

1. Frank Sinatra was buried with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Talk about doing things, “My Way.”
2. “Whiskey” refers to most Irish- or American-made whiskey. Scotch is “whisky,” and will never have an e.
3. Scotland boasts to have stored, at any given time, nearly four casks of whisky per Scottish resident.
4. “Whiskey” has Gaelic roots and translates to, “water of life.”
5. Kentucky Derby attendees consume 7,800 liters of bourbon in mint julep during race weekend every year.
6. There are more bourbon barrels in Kentucky than there are people.
7. At one time, George Washington was America’s biggest whiskey distiller.
8. At the 12-year mark, whiskey has lost 25 percent of its volume to evaporation. It’s called the angels’ share.
9. Scotland exports one billion bottles of whisky each year.
10. Did you know Jack Daniels was a real person? Legend has it that he learned how to make whiskey when he was only six years old. A Lutheran minister taught him.
11. The earliest recorded production of whiskey is in 1494.
12. When you think of whiskey, do you think of Kentucky or Tennessee? How about Alabama, where it’s the state beverage.
13. Ever notice the Glenfiddich bottle’s triangular shape? It represents the three pillars of whiskey making: air, barley, and water.
14. According to the French Federation of Spirits, whiskey sales make up 47.2 percent of all spirit sales in France.

Rum Facts

1. In the 18th century, rum was used as currency.
2. Daiquiris became popular during WWII because vodka and whiskey were hard to acquire but it was still easy to get rum.
3. The Spanish nickname for rum is Aguardiente, which translates to “fire water.”
4. What’s in a name? Spiced rum might be seasoned with anything from cinnamon or rosemary to absinthe and anise.
5. The name mai tai comes from the Tahitian Mai tai roa ae, which translates to “out of this world — the best!”
6. At one point the Royal Navy actually gave daily rum rations to sailors because it was believed to prevent scurvy.
7. Our first president truly enjoyed all liquor, it seems. George Washington apparently demanded that a barrel of rum be available for his 1789 inauguration.
8. Rum is believed to be the first spirit distilled purely for enjoyment, as opposed to medical purposes.
9. The oldest brand of rum still in existence is Mountain Gay, which has a deed dating back to 1703.
10. Puerto Rico is home to 80 percent of all resources used in rum production.
11. Need an excuse to drink? August is National rum month.
12. While rum is now produced all over the world, the majority of rum is still produced in the Caribbean and Latin America.
13. Many believe America’s first cocktail was the rum sling. Ingredients: Rum, lemon juice, sugar, and water.
14. A slightly similar rum drink popular with pirates was called Bumbo. It was made with rum, sugar, water, and nutmeg.

Vodka Trivia

1. About 25 percent of all alcohol consumed worldwide is vodka or contains vodka.
2. Think vodka is made from potatoes? Think, again! While vodka can be made from potatoes, it can also be made from basically any sugar source.
3. Looking for the most “bang” without spending a ton of calories? Vodka is only about 90 calories a shot.
4. In the alcohol world, many drinks pride themselves on being “aged.” Not vodka, though. In theory, if an unopened bottle is stored properly, it can last indefinitely. But who stores things properly? Once vodka’s color or clearness starts to change, it’s time to toss it out. And once a bottle has been opened, it’s best to finish it within twelve months.
5. Vodka comes from the Slovak word for water, which is voda.
6. Most people believe vodka comes from Russia. That might not be true, however. In Eastern Europe, it’s a hotly contested “fact” as to whether vodka was “born” in Russia or Poland.
7. Vodka has been proven beneficial in helping with poison ivy and in disinfecting (and thus subduing) toothaches.
8. Of course, vodka is also a solid surface cleaning option. It’s all-natural, disinfects, and is particularly good at cleaning stainless steel.
9. Because of vodka’s excellent disinfecting qualities, you can also use it on your face! Vodka can be used when mixing DIY aftershave. You can also dilute it with water and pat it on your face to help cleanse away bacteria.
10. Looking to drink (relatively) hangover free? Vodka might be the answer. The darker your liquor, the more toxins or congeners, you’ll find. It’s those added toxins that can cause or worsen a hangover. A clear liquid like vodka lacks those toxins, so it’s less likely to cause a wicked headache.

Looking for a completely useless but weird and fun experiment to do with your little rascals? You should try the lemon battery! The concept is simple: You cram some nails and pennies into opposite ends of a lemon, use copper wire to connect each end to a tiny LED light, and, with enough nails and pennies, you’ll be able to power the light. Ka-blam! You made a lemon battery! You’ve probably seen this experiment done with potatoes. That totally works, too. But, let’s face it: Lemons are colorful and, therefore, more fun.

The lemon battery experiment is based on one done 200 years ago by famed Italian physicist and chemist (and a “pioneer of electricity”), Alessandro Volta. When he created the first electrical battery, he used a very similar method. The difference? He used brine (or saltwater) instead of lemons. But, the science is basically the same in both instances, the acid or brine is what is needed for the “electrolyte.” Also, does Volta’s last name sound familiar? You probably already guessed it, the electric potential volt is named after him.

Here’s how to get started and what you’ll need.

How does the lemon battery experiment work?

If you’re going to do this experiment, you need to understand the actual science behind it, right? The “battery” works because of an electrochemical reaction. When you use galvanized nails, they serve as an electron-producing negative electrode. On the opposite side of things, the copper pennies (and copper wire) serve as the positive electrode. Think of it just like the opposite ends of any battery. If you put the nails and pennies so they touched, they’d cancel each other out and nothing would happen. But, when stuck in a lemon, the meat and juice of the fruit act as a conduit or conductive solution. The lemon enables you to connect the positive and negative ends to the light’s small wires and channel those electrodes into it… thus powering the light.

What You Need

• Copper wire
• Galvanized nails
• Pennies
• Lemon(s)
• LED bulb

How to Make the Lemon Battery

• Push your nails into one end of a lemon. The nails should touch each other.
• Create a small incision on the other end of the lemon and insert your pennies
• Cut two lengths of copper wire.
• Wrap one piece of wire around a nailhead. Take the other, coil the end of it and wedge it between your stack of pennies in the lemon.
• Connect the ends of your two copper wires to the ends of the wires on your LED light.

This Video Explains it Best

Lemon Battery Tips for Success

• Roll your lemon on the table, under your palm for a few seconds, first. This helps loosen up the juices.
• Make sure your pennies and nails are on opposite ends of the lemon and definitely not touching.
• Not getting enough power? While some versions of this experiment call for more lemons, you really just need more pennies and nails. Of course, if you start to run out of the surface area on your fruit, a second and third lemon connected in a chain can also solve your problem.

The Lemon Battery on Steroids

We know you and your kids love those crazy influencer experiment videos. We do, too! Of all the lemon battery videos out there, this one is actually the coolest thing ever. Be warned, though: Your kids are also going to end up asking if they can bounce a bunch of lemons on their trampoline. And, honestly, why not?

Other Fruits Battery Experiments

“Okay, but my wife is more of a tequila girl. We only have limes and you couldn’t pay me to go to the grocery store.”

The acid is what is needed here, not specifically the lemon. Any citrus fruit will work. Do you have limes? Use limes. Sitting under a tree of Indian River Ruby Red Grapefruits? Wear a helmet, bro. And use some grapefruits. Which is best? It’s safe to say that lemons are probably the best: That’s why it’s called the lemon battery experiment instead of the key lime battery experiment. However, it doesn’t seem as if there are any real, solid tests to see which of the citrus fruits work best. Maybe that’s an experiment for another day?

A classic Adam Sandler flick, Waterboy got a resounding thumbs down from critics ahead of its 1998 debut. They turned their noses up at the acting, the story, and basically, everything else about the film. But the joke was on them, Waterboy and Bobby Boucher went on to slay at the box office, grossing a whopping $190 million globally against its tiny $20 million budget. That said, Sandler playing a character with developmental disabilities is cringe-worthy. One might argue that Tom Hanks did it, too, in Forrest Gump. But you only need a single viewing of each to see respect from Hanks and sheer irreverence from Sandler. But we all rooted for Bobby Boucher, and Sandler did too. While he didn’t accomplish even a fraction of what Gump did, he did go on to get his high school degree, win the football game, as well as marry the girl with his mama’s full blessing.

What Waterboy lacked in tact, it offered instead in hilarious one-liners and brutal cultural commentary. If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to relive some of those jokes, here are our favorite quotes and jokes from arguably one of Sandler’s best films.

Waterboy Quotes From Bobby Jr.

1. “Seein? I see a lot of girls… I see a lot of guys too.”
2. “And I like Vicki, and she like me back! And she showed me her boobies and I like them too!”
3. “Look who’s on TV, Mama — it’s the devil.”
4. “No, You’re wrong Colonel Sanders.”
5. “My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.”
6. “And by the way, Mama… alligators are ornery because of their medulla oblongata.”
7. “Well I like school… and I like football… and I’m gonna keep doin’ ’em both because they make me feel good.”
8. “So that’s what opening up a can of whoop-ass feels like.”
9. “Once again, I’m not quite sure what that means.”
10. “Captain Insano shows no mercy!”
11. “Now that’s what I call high-quality H2O.”
12. “You do not have to…have to pay me. I-I will do it for free. Just promise me that you will never distribute the contents of that jug to any human person.”
13. “Mama says that happiness is from magic rays of sunshine that come down when you feelin’ blue.”
14. “Oh yea, plenty of times. The other night, I was with my Mama and Coach Klein at the same time.”
15. “Remember the time Bobby Boucher showed up at halftime and the Mud Dogs won the Bourbon Bowl, do ya?”

Waterboy Quotes from the One and Only Mama

1. “That’s nonsense, I invented electricity. Ben Franklin is the Devil!”
2. “No son of mine is gonna play any foosball.”
3. “Thanks, baby. Now you go on and have some fun becomin’ a man.”
4. “School?! You’re going to school?! Aaaah!”
5. “You gonna lose all your fancy “fools’ balls” games. And you’re gonna fail your big exam. Because school is –”
6. “Foos-ball? Buncha overgrown monsters man-handlin’ each other… ‘Member when dat man wanted you to play foosball, Bobby?”
7. “Are men supposed to wear pajamas featuring a cartoon character by the name of Deputy Dawg?”
8. “I don’t believe in that sort of thing personally. Astrology is one of the many tools of the devil.”
9. “You don’t have what they call “the social skills.” That’s why you never have any friends, ‘cept fo’ yo’ mama.”
10. “It’s the devil.”
11. “Bobby Boucher, what did Mama tell you about girls!”

Waterboy Quotes from Pretty Much Everyone Else

1. “Well, Bobby Boucher, welcome to manhood. I’ll make sure to welcome you properly later.” — Vicki
2. “There is something wrong with YOUR medulla oblongata.” — Professor
3. “The medulla oblongata… is where anger, jealousy, and aggression come from. Now, is there anybody here who can tell me where happiness comes from? Anyone? All right, let’s hear what Mama has to say on the subject.” — Professor
4. “Hey, remember the time Bobby tackled the referee by mistake?” — Derek Wallace
5. “Yeah, that was pretty funny. How ’bout the time Bobby tackled the guy from Louisville and threw him into the stands?” — Lyle Robideaux
6. “Y’all remember the time he intercepted the ball and his pants fell off, and he ran for the touchdown bare ass?” — Guy Grenouille
7. “Let’s kick some names and take some ass!” — Walter
8. “Gatorade not only quenches your thirst better, it tastes better too.” — Coach Klein
9. “Water sucks. It really really sucks. Water sucks.” — Coach Klein
10. “Oh, no! We suck again!” — Townie
11. “Hey, Walter! I bet you fifty bucks Guy Grenouille throws a touchdown pass on the first play. Check it out! (Interception is thrown.) Woo hoo hoo hoo! You owe me fifty bucks!” — Paco
12. “I am not what you would call a handsome man. The good Lord chose not to bless me with… with charm, athletic ability… or a fully functional brain.” — Paco
13. “Everybody already ‘is’ laughing at us. We haven’t won a game since nineteen-ninety-FOUR.” — Lyle Robideaux

First, it’s important to note that when we set out looking for the most important survival skills, a ton of other outlets suggested these were skills “every man should know.” That’s some dangerous noise. Do we not want women or girls to survive, too? Women go hiking, jogging, or just traveling on their own all the time. During any of those outings, they could find themselves stranded and in need of survival skills. Point is, sex has nothing to do with knowing how to dress a wound, find clean water, or set a dislocated shoulder. A rudimentary knowledge of survival skills is important whether you live in the city or out in the country. And while there are tons of useful books full of even more information on how to survive on your own, we put together a list of the absolute most basic tips for survival to get you through emergencies, camping trips, or a zombie apocalypse.

Before your mind wanders to the plotline for 127 Hours, sawing off limbs did not make the list. Whatever your reasons for needing these tips, it’s always a good idea to practice them a few times before you have to put them to use.

Catching and Purifying Water

Water is fantastically important, especially in hotter climates. If you want to survive, you have to stay hydrated. First and foremost, if at all possible, look for moving water. Water that is sitting on the ground is more likely to contain contaminants and bacteria that will make you sick. Also, attempt to boil your water. If, for instance, you’re traveling with a pot, metal water bottle, or canteen, catch the water in your canteen or pot. Then heat it over a fire until it boils. This isn’t failproof but boiling your water before you drink it will help kill off a lot of bacteria that could be living in it, even if it’s from a moving source.

Dress a Wound

A lot of times you end up stranded because you’d fallen or hurt yourself with no good way to keep moving or turn around. Learning how to take care of a wound or injury will help keep you alive (and possibly make you mobile, again). With open wounds, there are two important steps to keep in mind:

1. Stop the bleeding

You can do this by applying pressure, keeping the wound elevated, or in the case of major bleeding, creating a tourniquet. (See video, below.)

2. Clean the wound

Obviously, if there is significant bleeding, cleaning your wound isn’t your priority. As weird as it sounds, gushing blood will do a good job of cleaning out your wound on its own. What you’ll want to make sure of, though, is that you don’t allow the wound to get dirty. In other words, if you tie off your wound with fabric, make sure you’re using the cleanest part of your shirt to place over the wound. For smaller wounds, it’s really best to rinse them off with clean water before bandaging.

Break Something?

Creating a splint is easier than you think. Check out this video.

Learn A Couple Knots

What? You’re not a Boy Scout? Knots are an essential skill to learn for not just survival but everyday life. Tying a good knot can make or break a tree swing. A secure knot can even save lives when you’re securing that giant lawn chair in the back of your open trunk. Knots also help with tourniquets, rock climbing, and tent building.

Starting A Fire

They always make this look so hard in the movies, but with the right tools, it’s not that bad. The easiest advice we can give is just to carry a waterproof match on your keychain or in your hiking kit. Barring that, this video walks you through starting a fire with no help.

Building Shelter

If you know you’re stuck in nature for the long haul, building shelter is essential. You’ll want to make sure you’re not too close to any moving water. You also want to look for signs of movement: The last thing you want is set up camp on a bear’s main throughway. Next, while it may not seem vital, don’t underestimate the importance of being off the ground. Building a floor for yourself will keep you away from the damp ground, which will keep you warm when temperatures drop. It’ll also keep you a little further away from small, ground-based critters. Finally, even the most primitively roofed shelter will help keep you from the elements. A midnight storm? Not nearly as stressful if you’ve got a nice thatched roof over your head.

Staying Warm Without a Sleeping Bag

No sleeping bag? No problem. (Okay. It’s a bit of a problem.) Take a cue from animals and nestle into nature. Keeping your shelter small and as wind-proof as possible is one way to keep warm overnight. Another option is to pack dry leaves around you. Literally use leaves everywhere. Under the floor of your shelter. On top of your shelter’s floor. Stuff leaves between your shirt and your jacket. You might even want to use leaves to cover yourself up once you’re in your shelter.

Navigating Unfamiliar Terrains

Let’s be real: A compass is really only as useful as its owner. And the concept of following the North Star? Only helpful if you know heading north isn’t going to just lead you further into the unknown. One of the best ways to figure out where you are and where you need to go is to get as high as possible. Drag yourself up that hill. Climb that tree. Get as high as you can and look for signs of life… even if it’s just a slightly brighter sky in the distance. Another option? Find water and walk along with it. As we previously mentioned: Water is essential to life. That means you’re almost guaranteed to find more humans if you just continue to follow the water. However, never camp on the water’s edges, as you could be swept away during a flash flood. When it’s time to set up camp, head inland by at least several yards. Higher ground is also preferred.

Finding Food

So, you forgot to pack your “edible plants and berries” book? Honestly, we’ve all seen Into The Wild and know that eating forest roughage isn’t always a safe bet. Even if you’ve been a strict vegan for decades, stick to the meat (just start small). Build a rudimentary slingshot, trap, or bow and arrow and try to nab some small critters. Or, if you have the patience and the water: Try to fish. Fish is high in protein and, let’s face it, requires the least amount of energy. That’s why old guys love fishing.

Cooking Food

That campfire you built? It’s for more than just keeping you warm and boiling water. You’re going to need to cook on it, too. If you didn’t come with a pan, this will most likely look like shaving down a branch, skewering your meat, and holding it over the fire. (If you soak the wood first, it’ll do better over the flames.) Or use a thin, flat rock like a skillet. A word of warning: No matter how much you love sushi, now isn’t the time to cut corners. Burn your meat.

Signal For Help

At night, a fire will help. During the day, work on creating a giant “X” in a clearing. Start with something as long and as wide as your body, so you have at least something to start with. As you wait, continue building onto your X to make it even bigger. Choose material that contrasts against the ground, so it really sticks out.

Is it hot in here, or is it just us? Dad jokes aside, the weather is only going to get warmer. All dads know just like kids are seemingly incapable of turning lights off when they leave the room, they also can’t be trusted to keep the windows closed when the AC is on. So instead of paying those exorbitant power bills trying to cool down the whole house all summer long, it might be time to look into an eco-friendly personal AC.

The EvaChill EV-500 Personal Air Conditioner can drop the air temperature around you up to an impressive 59º in just 10 minutes. And it’s portable, so you can bring it along with you… you know, from your Man Cave to the kitchen and back again. It’s currently on sale for 19% off and just $79.99 for a limited time.

Don’t break out a sweat while watching a baseball game this summer. Keep cool and comfortable with the EvaChill EV-500. It’s Evapolar’s newest model that was named the 2019 Red Dot Design Award Winner thanks to its easy portability and eco-friendly status.

So how does it work? It sets up with just one button! All you have to do to experience the cooling magic is fill the water tank and connect to a power supply. The cartridge will absorb large amounts of water, which spreads evenly through the cooling pads as air blows through them. The water then evaporates to lower the air temperature around you, with no heat exhausted at all. That impressive natural evaporative cooling effect will drop the air temp up to 59º in just 10 minutes so you stay comfortable during the dog days of summer. And you’ll receive the added benefits of the EvaChill EV-500 filtering out dust particles and increasing the air quality for better breathing at the same time!

Save yourself a whole lot of AC lectures this summer and invest in your own portable personal AC. The EvaChill EV-500 Personal Air Conditioner is ready to keep things cool for just $79.99.

Prices subject to change.

Just a heads up, if you buy stuff using the provided links, The Dad may collect a small commission.

First, we’ll level with you: Even if our dog were a complete idiot who never listened to a single command or learned a single trick, we’d still love her. Those tip-tappy toenails on the wood. The clumsy whole-butt tail wagging. Even that stinky, stanky hot breath. They’re all lovable and irreplaceable. After all, there’s a reason why emotional support dogs are a mainstay at children’s hospitals and hospice care facilities. All this to say if the only cool dog trick our dog ever learned was how to be excited when we walked in the door, that would be enough.

Having a dog isn’t about the tricks, but they’re certainly fun. What tricks you teach your dog might depend on what you need from them, what your kids will find most entertaining, or simply what sparks your interest. How you teach your dog, however, tends to be the same across the board. The American Kennel Club offers some pretty helpful tips. They recommend first teaching your dog to want praise. Any time your dog does something “right,” impressive, or even sweet, reward her. This is called “positive reinforcement” and it works with toys, treats, or just additional love and praise. For some dogs and for easy tasks, a simple but excited, “Good boy!” is all you need. For more complicated tricks, you might have to pull out the big guns, like those tiny but super pungent treats. They also suggest starting early (even at just eight weeks) and keeping sessions short. A couple of 5 to 10-minute sessions each day will be much more effective than one long, boring training session.

So, what do you want to teach your dog? There are tons of cool tricks here but start with the basic commands: Come, stay, and speak. You’ll have a much easier time getting Fido to jump through that hoop if they know how to come when called. Similarly, it’s less stressful teaching them to jump for a frisbee if you teach them to stay when told and they don’t run off. Need a little help with just the basics? Start here before moving on to more complicated tricks.

1. Train Your Dog to Open the Door

This could be a really cool trick. It will certainly surprise your guests. Just keep in mind that if you train your dog to open doors, they might start opening doors to places you don’t want them to go.

2. Train Your Dog to Close the Door

Opening doors is all well and good. But, how about closing a door behind them? Yep. You can teach that, too.

3. Jumping Through Hoops

Once your dog knows basic commands like “come” or “heel,” it becomes a lot easier to teach them more complicated tricks. Is jumping through a hoop useful? Uh, no. But, it’s certainly impressive and fun.

4. Teach Your Dog to “Get”

“Get” is different from “fetch.” In the dog training world, fetch implies you have an object, you’re tossing it, and your dog is retrieving it. Teaching your dog to “get” something means they’re bringing you an item you request. Since you can teach your dog the names of objects in your home, once they learn to get one or two items, it should be fairly easy to branch out. Start by having them get their leash or your slippers and branch out from there.

5. Train Your Dog to Count

Math can be hard for humans. It turns out, however, that it’s a little easier for Spot.

6. Teach Jump Roping to Your Dog

Wanna make all the other dog owners at the dog park jealous? Teach your pooch how to jump rope! As a bonus, you can refer to playing with your dog as “doing some cardio” and sound very fit.

7. Train Your Dog to Turn Off The Lights

One common command service dogs learn is to turn lights off and on. After all, how often do you find yourself doing just that? Your Doodle may not be a service dog, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be of service when you’re too lazy to get up.

8. Teach Your Dog The Snoot Challenge

Thank God for TikTok or we’d be without this completely useless but cool dog trick.

Tips for Training Your Dog 

There are a million tricks you can teach your pup, but if you’re looking to have successful training session with your doggo, follow these tips below. 

• When teaching your dog a new trick, avoid confusing them by keeping the commands short words. Say their name each time you say the word.
• Keep their training sessions short. Dogs have the attention spans of two-year-olds, so don’t drag out their training too long. Keep it about 10 to 15 minutes, three times a day.
• Be patient and give your doggo consistent praise. 

We said it once. We’ll say it, again. Keanu Reeves is the ultimate action star. You might shake your head and rattle off Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Wesley Snipes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as options in one breath, but hear us out. Reeves can literally take on any role. Not only does he actually study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he’s done his own stunts and fights using everything from his bare hands to a sword… and a surfboard. He’s played Tai Chi masters, gunslingers, and… whatever TF you want to call Neo. Reeves is a total badass and you’ll never convince us otherwise.

What makes his badassery even more impressive? Knowing he’s a truly amazing, kind guy. He can laugh at himself. He’s attentive and generous to his fans. And Reeves is, without a doubt, the most laid-back guy in Hollywood. What’s not to love about that? Reeves is our favorite actor. But, what is our favorite of his roles? We thought we’d break it down for you. If you’ve missed out on any of the movies on this list, we implore you: Find them. Watch them. Love them. Talk to us about them. Have a beef with our selections? Or even just our general love for Keanu? Let’s hear it. We’re ready to rumble.

Keanu Reeve’s Best Action Roles

Neo — The Matrix

Sure, Neo can dodge bullets. But, he also outsmarted the computer system none of the other human brains could do. So, yeah, pretty rad.

Johnny Utah — Point Break

There is a lot to scoff at about this cheesy classic, but there’s even more to love. (As with all cheesy classics, right?) You can’t claim you’re a fan of Reeves or film in general, really, if you haven’t seen Point Break. Can you fend off a bad guy with a surfboard?

Jack Traven — Speed

Speed may not be the world’s greatest film. And the then-high-tech maneuvers the police took to outsmart the bad guy seem laughable to us now. But so help us, that movie put Reeves on the map as an action hero star. TL:DR, there would be no Reeves in the Matrix without Reeves in Speed.

Kai — 47 Ronin

If you aren’t a fan of Samurai films, you may not like 47 Ronin. We get it. But, Reeves is, once again, a BAMF, and this time he rocks a sword. His character, Kai, is a warrior who helps lead a group of outcast samurai on their road to revenge.

John Wick — John Wick

No one likes a movie where the dog dies. Everyone loves a man seeking revenge for his murdered dog, though. That’s exactly who John Wick is and, of course, we love it.

Donaka Mark — Man of Tai Chi

True story: Reeves didn’t even know Tai Chi when making this film. His Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, however, made him seem at ease in his role and with the martial art.

Other Awesome Roles From Keanu Reeves

Duke Kaboom — Toy Story 4 

Keanu Reeves wasn’t physically in this animated film, but he voiced the toy Duke Kaboom. The action figure is based on a 1970s Canadian daredevil/stuntman. Duke Caboom is confident and tough, but haunted by his past failures. He’s somewhat of an airhead, but his heart is always in the right place and here’s there for the other toys when they need him most. Caboom also has a kick-ass catchphrase: “Yes, I Canada.” It’s not a role many would expect Keanu to play, but he delivers a hilarious performance that’s unforgettable.

Keanu — Keanu

Everything about this gangster kitty is adorable and the movie itself is downright silly. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, though, we got to hear Keanu the cat’s thoughts… narrated by Keanu the human. The fact Reeves was willing to take part in such a goofy movie only made us love him more.

John Constantine — Constantine

Once you’ve witnessed hell, how hard would you work to avoid going there? John Constantine works pretty damn hard.

Ted — Bill & Ted

We don’t seriously need to tell you why the Bill & Ted is franchise totally awesome, do we?

Johnny Mnemonic — Johnny Mnemonic

Johnny has a memory card implanted in him and his head is full of much-desired information. If he doesn’t upload it fast enough, he’ll meet his doom. You know, assuming he isn’t kidnapped and possibly murdered by the competing entities who also want the information in his head.

“Himself” — Always Be My Maybe

Reeves is known for being the more laidback and kind guy in Hollywood. If you have a Keanu Reeves story, it’s going to be a good one. That made his appearance in the Netflix rom-com, Always Be My Maybe, all the more fun to watch. Reeves played a crunchy, douchey version of himself.

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