Toronto – Next up in the TIFF saga is It Might Get Loud. A documentary by Davis Guggenheim about the electric guitar and three master guitarists that have helped to contemporize the instrument and make it accessible for their respective generations. This is a great doc for any musicianado that would love to see their guitar heroes at work and play, which is typically the same thing.

The guitarists in question are: Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge, and The White Stripes’ Jack White. The documentary follows their paths as they discover the guitar and what it can do for them. It traces their transition from guitarist to musician as they struggle to create the songs that transform their band and then define their own unique sound.

All three guitarists open up about their experiences and their love of the guitar. This makes for a really genuine and genuinely funny film to watch. When asked what will happen when the three guitarists finally meet, Jack White responds, “I don’t know, a fist fight?”. He then later admits that he wants to meet The Edge and Jimmy Page so that he can “trick them into teaching me their tricks”. During the Q&A after the film, Jack White was asked to pick a single guitar to bring to a remote island. His answer: “Jimmy Paige’s guitar.”

In addition to seeing Jimmy Page’s fantastic guitar skills, we also get a glimpse of his fantastic air guitar skills while listening to records. Another classic moment was The Edge playing his Edge chords through his fancy Edge pedals and equipment. In a moment of straight-talking brevity, he says, “If you take away all the effects, all I’m playing is this”, then adopts a silly face and plays the simple chord he had been playing all along. He admits that sometimes he spends all day searching for a particular sound. If asked to summarize his day’s work on an acoustic guitar, it would be laughably simple.

This doc is a must see for guitarists, a should see for musicians, and a see for everyone else.

It Might Get Loud: 4/5
It Might Get Loud (if you’re a musician): 4.5/5
It Might Get Loud (if you’re a guitarist): 5/5