Film201587 min

Best of Enemies

Name: Best of Enemies
Genre: Documentary, History
Released: 2015
Duration: 87 min
Cast: Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley, Kelsey Grammer, John Lithgow, Dick Cavett

Taste attributes: documentaryhistoryhistoricalbiographypoliticalslowfresh & originalheavyrealisticlineargrittyenclosedemotive & stirringdeep rivalrysocial commentary

See which match your taste

"Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same."

Boxlist takeA grounded, unhurried documentary: weighty and inventive. Best if you like real life over fantasy.

Pace: very slow · Originality: fresh · Tone: balanced · Weight: very heavy · Realism: true to life · Story: balanced · Structure: very linear · Look: gritty · Scale: balanced · Emotional punch: stirringHow we score

7.3/10

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

Where to watch

StrongsampleWhy this match?Show

What lines up

Setting / scale: Small / confined, just how this profile likes it
Originality: Fresh / original, just how this profile likes it
Emotional punch: Emotive / stirring, just how this profile likes it

What might not click

Realism: True to life, where this profile leans balanced realism
Intricacy: Balanced intricacy, where this profile leans smart / intricate

This is a sample for Hard Hitter. Take the taste test to see your own match for Best of Enemies.

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?"

Synopsis: TMDB