[11] The film features interviews from "journalists and policy makers and military leaders"[12] such as Madeleine Albright, Wesley Clark, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Tom Donilon, Al Gore, Christopher R. Hill, John Kerry, Henry Kissinger, Ashraf Ghani, Doug Lute, David Petraeus, Samantha Power, Strobe Talbott, Dan Feldman, Barnett Rubin, Vali Nasr, and Rina Amiri.

[13] Additionally, interviews from journalists who covered Holbrooke's career are included: Christiane Amanpour, Roger Cohen, Ronan Farrow, Dexter Filkins, Joe Klein, Stanley Karnow, George Packer, David Rohde, Diane Sawyer, and Bob Woodward.

"[citation needed] Gordon Goldstein began his op-ed for Politico by stating the film "manages to be not just a poignant and surprisingly dispassionate portrait of his late father, the brilliant but divisive Richard Holbrooke, but also to illuminate the continuum of past and present U.S. foreign policy.

"[14] Brendan Vaughan from GQ said "the film is...a fascinating, ringside history of post-Cold War America, told through the prism of this one Zelig-like figure, and a moving father-son story that will leave any man who watches it reflecting on his own relationships.

"[15] Regina Weinreich from The Huffington Post wrote in her online review that "watching HBO's documentary, The Diplomat, offers a generous glimpse into Washington circles, and an important era in American history.

"[18] Chris Nashawaty gave the film an "A−" in his Entertainment Weekly review, saying the doc "balances poignant political insight with a heartfelt narrative about a man trying to reckon with his absent father’s legacy.

"[19] Robert Abele from the Los Angeles Times said "the portrait that emerges, with David on camera as a respectful but quizzical son as he pores through letters, photos, journals and audio recordings, is of a hard-driving, ambitious figure who preferred to mingle in the world and reflect reality in his diplomatic efforts rather than become trapped in a government-obfuscating bubble.