The Story of Best of Enemies and Its Unlikely Television Moment
Best of Enemies is a 2015 documentary that reconstructs one of American television's most combustible moments: the live debates between literary intellectual Gore Vidal and conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr. during ABC's coverage of the 1968 Republican and Democratic national conventions. The film doesn't just document what happened on screen—it explores why these two men couldn't stand each other, what made their on-air chemistry so magnetic, and what their conflict reveals about how media profits from conflict. Directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon, the documentary weaves archival footage, interviews, and analysis to show how a network chasing ratings stumbled onto something genuinely explosive. What started as a ratings gambit became a cultural turning point, one that still echoes in how we consume political discourse today.
Behind the Making of Best of Enemies and Its Awards Recognition
The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it caught the attention of both Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media, who acquired distribution rights. Neville and Gordon brought substantial pedigree to the project—Neville had already established himself as a documentarian of cultural history, while Gordon brought archival research expertise. The cast of talking heads reads like a who's who of intellectual heavyweights: Christopher Hitchens, Noam Chomsky, and Dick Cavett all appear to contextualize the debates, alongside actors Kelsey Grammer and John Lithgow, who provide readings of correspondence and private thoughts from Vidal and Buckley. The 88-minute runtime keeps the narrative tight, never letting the film drift into academic tedium. While Best of Enemies didn't dominate awards season, its acquisition by prestige distributors and Sundance premiere slot signaled serious critical respect for a documentary about a moment most viewers had never witnessed firsthand.
What Makes Best of Enemies Stand Out as Political Documentary
What's striking is how the film manages to be simultaneously about two men and about something much larger—the machinery of television itself. You watch Vidal and Buckley circle each other with the precision of trained debaters, their insults wrapped in erudition, their personal animosity bleeding through every exchange. The thing nobody mentions is how entertaining it all is, which is precisely the point the filmmakers want you to notice. ABC's executives didn't hire these two to illuminate policy; they hired them because ratings soar when intellectual heavyweights draw blood on live television. The documentary doesn't shy away from this calculation. It shows how profit-seeking capitalism in media—then TV, now social media—creates structural incentives for belligerence and argument over nuance and agreement. Vidal emerges as a more complex figure than many viewers might expect: not just a novelist but a playwright, screenwriter, and genuinely influential public intellectual whose wit could dismantle an opponent in a sentence. Buckley, for his part, comes across as equally formidable, a man who could spar with Vidal on nearly equal terms. Their mutual contempt feels earned, not manufactured—and that's what makes it so riveting to watch unfold across the decades.
Where to Stream Best of Enemies Online
Best of Enemies is currently available to stream on Prime Video, making it accessible to millions of subscribers who can watch the full 88 minutes on demand. If you're using Movie OTT to track where your favorite documentaries are streaming, you'll find the availability widget at the top of this page showing exactly where the film is live right now. Prime Video's library makes this a particularly easy grab—no need to hunt across multiple services or wait for a theatrical window. The documentary's lean runtime also works in its favor for streaming; it's the kind of film you can watch in one sitting without the commitment a longer prestige doc might demand.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Best of Enemies?
Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon co-directed the film, with Neville bringing his established reputation for cultural documentaries and Gordon contributing extensive archival research and curation.
Q: Is Best of Enemies based on a true story?
Yes—it documents the actual televised debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. during the 1968 Republican and Democratic national conventions, using archival footage and interviews to reconstruct the events.
Q: How long is Best of Enemies?
The documentary runs 88 minutes, making it a brisk, focused examination of the debates and their cultural impact.
Q: Where can I watch Best of Enemies?
The film is currently available on Prime Video, with availability tracked across platforms on the Movie OTT widget at the top of this page.
Q: What's the IMDb rating for Best of Enemies?
The documentary holds a 6.4/10 rating on IMDb, reflecting solid critical interest though not universal acclaim.
Final Thoughts on Best of Enemies
If you care about media history, political rhetoric, or just the sheer spectacle of two brilliant people genuinely disliking each other while millions watch, Best of Enemies deserves your time. It's a lean, smart film that doesn't overstay its welcome. The documentary asks uncomfortable questions about what we choose to watch and why—questions that feel even more urgent now than they did in 1968. Don't expect a feel-good story about civil discourse. Expect instead a clear-eyed look at how television discovered that conflict sells, and how little has changed in the decades since.
