Viewfinder

May 27, 2024
In this endearing autobiography, cowritten with journalist McCarter (Hamilton: The Revolution), Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Chu digs into his childhood, influences, and struggles to define himself. Growing up in Silicon Valley in the 1980s and ’90s, Chu—the youngest of five children—worked at his Chinese immigrant parents’ restaurant and learned early to “fade into the background and simply observe, then get what I want without the drama.” As he became enamored with theater and cinema, Chu took advantage of the rapid development of digital technology, running a “mini movie studio” out of his bedroom by the time he was 18, complete with high-tech cameras and top-shelf editing software. He followed his passion through film school at USC and the production of a short film that caught the attention of Steven Spielberg and led Sony to tap Chu for a remake of Bye Bye Birdie. Dizzied by the sudden success, Chu felt both devastated and relieved when the project collapsed, allowing him to regroup before breaking through with Step Up 2 the Streets in 2008. Chu and McCarter enliven the standard-issue celeb memoir beats with bits of wisdom aimed at aspiring filmmakers (“Stock Your Pantry”; “Check the Projector”) and welcome humor. Film fans—especially those with hopes of working in the business—will enjoy this. Photos. Agent: Lacy Lalene Lynch, Dupree/Miller & Assoc.