ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
A grammar guru takes her pop-up grammar advice stand on a rollicking road trip across all 50 states to show that comma fights can bring us closer together in a divided time.

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

What followed is the stuff of grammar legend.

Ellen and her filmmaker husband, Brandt Johnson, hit the road with the table, visiting all 50 states as Brandt shot the grammar action. People from every imaginable background visited the Grammar Table to share a laugh, settle disputes, or 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 an epic 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?”

Come for the grammar. Stay for the humanity.

Ellen’s book Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian (HarperCollins) was a national bestseller in 2022. The paperback came out in May 2025.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Brandt Johnson
PRODUCER Brandt Johnson

WEBSITE rebelwithaclause.com