Best of Enemies
Seen it?2015 | 87 min | Documentary, History
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (93% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious and history buffs. If you loved I Am Not Your Negro or O.J.: Made in America, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 27 min.
- What might put you off
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
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 it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.2 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 16K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville
- 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)
- Reid BuckleySelf
- Andrew SullivanSelf
- Todd GitlinSelf