Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes
      TRAILER 2:22

      Best of Enemies

      2015, Documentary/Biography, 1h 28m

      122 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Smart, fascinating, and funny, Best of Enemies takes a penetrating -- and wildly entertaining -- look back at the dawn of pundit politics. Read critic reviews

      You might also like

      See More
      Trumbo
      Papa: Hemingway in Cuba
      Jackie
      The Bleeder
      Professor Marston & the Wonder Women

      Where to watch Best of Enemies

      Rent/buy Rent/buy Rent/buy

      Rent Best of Enemies on Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, or buy it on Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu.

      Rate And Review

      User image

      Verified

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)



      • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Step 2 of 2

        How did you buy your ticket?

        Let's get your review verified.

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

        You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)

      • How did you buy your ticket?

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

      Best of Enemies  Photos

      Best of Enemies (2015) Best of Enemies (2015) Best of Enemies (2015) Best of Enemies (2015)

      Movie Info

      In 1968, ideological opposites William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal hold a series of riveting, nationally televised debates that usher in a new era of public discourse and pundit TV.

      • Rating: R (Some Sexual Content/Nudity|Language)

      • Genre: Documentary, Biography, History, Drama

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon

      • Producer: Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville

      • Writer: Robert Gordon, Tom Graves, Morgan Neville

      • Release Date (Theaters):  limited

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $892.0K

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

      • Production Co: Tremolo Productions, Media Ranch

      Cast & Crew

      News & Interviews for Best of Enemies

      Critic Reviews for Best of Enemies

      Audience Reviews for Best of Enemies

      • May 15, 2016

        Just finished this on Netflix. It was riveting, partially because it is the world I grew up in, and partly because it chronicles how what I knew growing up morphed into what I live with now. The documentary does a good job of showing what each man gained and lost from the encounter, and it gives credit to both where due. Both men have warts, and the documentary doesn't hide them or sensationalize them. Little has changed, sadly. I feel politics is empty theatre, given that most of what these two men discuss is still on the table today. That's not unique to the 1960s vs the 2010s. I'm convinced that Plato's Republic is just as relevant now as ever. As Churchill said, Democracy is the worst form of government except for the other kinds.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jan 11, 2016

        An exciting analysis of the beginning of a major change in political journalism as it became a theater stage for egos, shown in this pivotal debate between two arrogant men who we can't deny were brilliant orators - even though I despise Buckley's political views and Vidal's aggressive ad hominem attacks.

        Super Reviewer
      • Sep 18, 2015

        With no televised debates between the presidential candidates in 1968, it was left to ABC who was desperately seeking an audience or any kind of attention really to make up for that by having Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley debate opposing viewpoints in the studio during the two political conventions that year. What the illuminating and snappy documentary "Best of Enemies" does well is provide behind the scenes information. The most surprising snippets involve fresh angles on the Chicago Democratic Convention which had already been so exhaustively covered and here go beyond just mentioning Gore Vidal, Arthur Miller and Paul Newman sharing a car.(I feel there should be a punchline there...) With a documentary just last year about Gore Vidal, the more revelatory parts in "Best of Enemies" involve William F. Buckley who in archival footage seems polite and eager to listen to different points of view on his television show, and at least until he is pushed too far in the debates with Vidal. At the same time, I do have certain bones to pick, not the least of which is the accusation that Vidal had ulterior motives for saying something unkind about Robert Kennedy. For Buckley, the documentary probably overstates his influence on the Republican Party when in fact he was might have just been in agreement with the more conservative Republicans in power.

        walter m Super Reviewer
      • Aug 13, 2015

        Best of Enemies centers on ten televised debates in 1968 between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal regarding the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Most of the conversation is heated but diplomatic. The climax is fashioned around what is essentially an infamous altercation of name calling between these two loquacious rivals. The discussion centered on freedom of speech in regards to American protesters displaying a Viet Cong flag. Their polite discourse ultimately condensed to a hostile exchange. Gore Vidal baits Buckley with a personal low blow. Buckley strikes back in kind. Buckley and Vidal, these intellectuals with aristocratic bearing, had been reduced to children. According to the documentary, both had a hard time ever forgetting the incident. It was the seed that inspired an article in Esquire that led to a lengthy lawsuit that took years to settle. Individually, these debates had profoundly affected their lives, but more universally it changed the landscape of political punditry. Given the mostly civilized, highbrow rhetoric seen here and what we are now accustomed to, I'd say things have deteriorated considerably. fastfilmreviews.com

        Super Reviewer

      Movie & TV guides

      View All