Movie
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?"
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Where to watch in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Best of Enemies is available to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Fandango at Home Free, Hoopla, Kanopy, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi, and YouTube in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Google Play. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
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Synopsis
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?"
More about Best of Enemies
Cast
Gore VidalSelf
William F. Buckley Jr.Self
Kelsey GrammerVoice of William F. Buckley
John LithgowVoice of Gore Vidal
Dick CavettSelf
Christopher HitchensSelf
Noam ChomskySelf (archival)Credits
- Directed by
- Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon
- Written by
- Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon
Production details
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- English
- Budget
- $1M
Production
Tremolo ProductionsUnited States- Media Ranch
Motto PicturesUnited States
Magnolia PicturesUnited States
ParticipantUnited States
ITVSUnited States
Themes
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