Rebel with a Clause

This funny new documentary speaks to those who obsess over proper word choice and punctuation.

Here’s an excerpt from a great feature about the film in the New York Times:

Jennifer Griffin stood outside a movie theater on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, waving to a friend.

“I’m here with all the other dorks!” she called out, using a prepositional phrase to get the attention of Lisa Kuklinski. Soon, they were joined by Miranda Schwartz, a copy editor who was wearing a shirt that read “I’M SILENTLY CORRECTING YOUR GRAMMAR” — notably, the message lacked a punctuation mark at the end.

The women are members of a group chat in which they text each other about the words they find in the New York Times Spelling Bee game. This was their girls’ night out…[READ MORE]

About this event

Grammar nerds, unite! Before the show, let Ellen Jovin settle your grammarian grievances at the Grammar Table. The film screening is followed by an onstage Q&A with Jovin and director Brandt Johnson and a book signing in the lobby.

About the film

One fall day in 2018, Ellen Jovin set up a folding table on a Manhattan sidewalk with a homemade sign that said “Grammar Table.” Right away, passersby began excitedly asking questions, telling stories, and filing complaints.

Jovin and her filmmaker husband, Brandt Johnson, took the table on the road, visiting all 50 states as Johnson shot the grammar action.

People from every imaginable background visited the table to share a laugh, settle disputes, and talk about their grammar insecurities. These conversations took place in small towns and big cities, by bookstores and coffee shops, on beaches and mountainsides.

But this story transcends grammar. It’s the story of a quest to bring us all closer together. In a time of social and political division, the Grammar Table is a place of unity and connection. The conversations at the table help answer the question “How can we all get along?”