review for Athena on AllMovie

In some ways one of the more unusual musicals to come out of MGM in the 1950s, Athena is a modest and lightweight piece of fluff, with a number of moments that cause a rather incredulous double take from the viewer. The fact that the film deals (however superficially) with body building, health consciousness and what we would now consider "new age" issues is surprising, although these are subjected to the gentle mocking that MGM musicals often accorded unconventional ideas. The script itself is silly and a bit of a throwaway; beyond the basic idea, there are no real surprises and little that is new in terms of dialogue or characterization. The Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane score is breezy and agreeable, although the trans-gendering of their old "The Boy Next Door" is not totally successful. Better is the high-energy "I Never Felt Better," the jubilant "Vocalize" and the haunting "Love Can Change the Stars," all of which deserve to be more widely known. Jane Powell sounds quite good on all of these (and even better on the opera aria interpolated into the score), and turns in a winning and charming performance all around. Debbie Reynolds is perky and amusing, and the rest of the cast is fine. Too silly to completely sustain its short 96 minutes, Athena eventually runs out of gas, but it's a pleasant enough ride while it lasts.