Best of Enemies backdrop
DOCUMENTARY . 2015 . 1h 27m . English . 7.2/10

Best of Enemies_

"Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same."

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

Starring Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley Jr., Kelsey Grammer
7.2/10
Rating
1h 27m
Runtime
2015
Year
Updated Feb 16, 2026
Best of Enemies poster
Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same.

A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"

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DROPTHE_ GOSSIP

Cast
Gore Vidal stars as Self in Best of Enemies.
Gore Vidal →
Year context
Best of Enemies was released 11 years ago in 2015.
Overview
A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conse...
Best of Enemies is a Documentary, History film with a runtime of 1h 27m.

CAST (20)

Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Self
William F. Buckley Jr.
William F. Buckley Jr.
Self
Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Voice of William F. Buckley
John Lithgow
John Lithgow
Voice of Gore Vidal
Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Self
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens
Self
Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Self (archival)
RB
Reid Buckley
Self
Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Sullivan
Self
TG
Todd Gitlin
Self
BG
Brooke Gladstone
Self
Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Self (archival)
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Self (archival)
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Self (archival)
Sam Donaldson
Sam Donaldson
Self (archival)
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Self (archival)
Matt Tyrnauer
Matt Tyrnauer
Self
Godfrey Cambridge
Godfrey Cambridge
Self (archival)
John McWhorter
John McWhorter
Self
CL
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Self

BOX OFFICE

$1.0M
Budget

DETAILS

Release
Status
Released
Runtime
87 min (1h 27m)
Language
English
Country
Rating
7.2/10 (145 votes)
Popularity
3
Budget
$1,000,000

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Best of Enemies about?
A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"
How long is Best of Enemies?
Best of Enemies has a runtime of 87 minutes (1h 27m).
Who stars in Best of Enemies?
The cast of Best of Enemies includes Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley Jr., Kelsey Grammer, John Lithgow, Dick Cavett.
What is the rating of Best of Enemies?
Best of Enemies has a rating of 7.2 out of 10 based on 145 votes on TMDB.

GENRES (2)

Documentary History
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