Virgin Alexander - one Saratogian's thoughts

My wife and I attended the August 3rd screening of the movie "Virgin Alexander", filmed here in Saratoga Springs, at the Spectrum Theater in Albany and we were glad we went.  While I don't think this movie has enough going for it to make it a hit, the fact that it was a great first effort by Saratoga Springs native Sean Fallon and his wife Charlotte Barrett, and it utilized many landmarks around the Spa City, certainly make it worth a look from those who love Saratoga Springs. 

The movie stars Rick Faugno as Alexander who, as the title indicates, is a (26 year old) virgin. Alexander meets Ruby (Paige Howard - daughter of Ron Howard) who is a prostitute and turns his house into a brothel in order to save it from foreclosure.  The movie is sometimes a touching love story in which several characters deal with life's dreams versus its realities, and, at least briefly, it feels like a bit of a teen comedy a la "American Pie".  The movie has a raw feel to it in that you could tell it was a first effort by writers-directors Fallon and Barrett, and the story and character development at times seemed lacking, but there are many redeeming qualities, including a few laughs and quirks, that make it worthwhile. 

Both Fallon and Barrett, as well as apparently a few of the minor role actors with enthusiasticly supportive friends, were in attendance, and the Las Vegas based couple held a Q & A after the screening.  Their graciousness, passion, and really success in getting thoughts in their mind (the movie was inspired by the many foreclosures they saw in the Las Vegas area) down on paper and into a fully produced movie are quite impressive.  Movies are expensive to create no matter how "low budget" they are categorized, and overcoming the financial hurdles alone is enough for me to be impressed. 

There are many recognizable Saratoga locations in the movie, including Gardiner's Alley behind Uncommon Grounds, the Broadway location of the Adirondack Trust Co. as well as other Broadway locations, Saratoga Spa State Park, Leon's Restaurant, Five Points Grocery, Desperate Annie's, plus several Saratoga Springs homes and streets. I should note here that the couple gave immense credit to Saratoga Springs in general and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce in particular for the valuable help and cooperation they received.  Credit to the All Over Albany blog for organizing the film screening, and I hope it gets shown soon here in Saratoga Springs (Are you reading this Saratoga Film Forum?).  You can view the Virgin Alexander trailer on the movie's web site, as well as a WRGB Channel 6 story here, and to read a blog post I wrote on my Funsaratoga.com blog a few years ago about movies filmed in Saratoga Springs, click here.

- Dan De Federicis