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?"
Directed by Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
chicago, illinois
miami, florida
politics
intellectual
author
debate
archive footage
television network
1960s
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.8 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Gore Vidal
Self
William F. Buckley Jr.
Self
Kelsey Grammer
Voice of William F. Buckley
John Lithgow
Voice of Gore Vidal
Dick Cavett
Self
Christopher Hitchens
Self
Noam Chomsky
Self (archival)
Andrew Sullivan
Self
Paul Newman
Self (archival)
Arthur Miller
Self (archival)
Muhammad Ali
Self (archival)
Sam Donaldson
Self (archival)
Crew
Robert Gordon
Director
Morgan Neville
Director
Robert Gordon
Writer
Morgan Neville
Writer
Mark Schwartzbard
Director of Photography
Robert Gordon
Producer
Morgan Neville
Producer
Julie Goldman
Executive Producer
Pete Horner
Supervising Sound Editor
Popular Reviews
24 reviews
Leslie
8.0★ · 02/14/26
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Leslie
8.0★ · 01/01/26
First movie of 2026, by the way.
First movie of 2026, by the way.
Leslie
8.0★ · 08/12/25
Their dynamic would somehow be less homoerotic if they actually fucked.
Their dynamic would somehow be less homoerotic if they actually fucked.
