According to Jake Coyle of the "Southtown Star", Gothel is "one of Disney's best" villains, while Gary Thompson of the "Philadelphia Daily News "dubbed the character "one reason to love Disney". Michael Smith of the "Tulsa World "reviewed Gothel as "perfectly wicked as she kills Rapunzel's dreams". Kirk Baird of "The Blade "identified Gothel as the film's "strongest character". Colin Covert of the "Star Tribune "commented," ""In her own way, Gothel is scarier than Snow White's wicked stepmother" because the character "doesn't cast spells; she's fully capable of manipulating, guilt-tripping and emotionally undermining the girl". Several comparisons have been made between Gothel and the Evil Queen in Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), while several critics observed the character's likeness to singer Cher; Peter Howell of the "Toronto Star" joked that Gothel is "suspiciously Cher-like in her quest for eternal youth". However, critics were not unanimous in their praise, as some reviewers felt that the character was too passive and tame to be a convincing villain. Jeff Meyers of the "Detroit Metro Times "wrote that the film's "villain isn't all that villainous", while Tyler Hanley of the "Palo Alto Daily News "received Gothel as too "one-dimensional and generic". PopMatters' Bill Gibron wrote that, as a villain, Gothel "can't compete with traditional miscreants like Maleficent or Cruella de Vil". Alison Gang of "U-T San Diego "felt that Gothel was an "annoying" character at times, while "USA Today"s Claudia Puig wrote that "Gothel plays the role of Rapunzel's loving mom [only] sometimes convincingly". Although Michelle Orange of Movieline enjoyed Gothel's personality to an extent, the author criticized the character in a mixed review that "By reducing Mother Gothel to a vain woman who doesn't want immortality so much as she's determined to keep her profile taut, the film misses the chance to get seriously mythical, and as a result the narrative lacks dramatic impact." Meanwhile, Murphy's performance has garnered unanimous praise. Lisa Schwarzbaum of "Entertainment Weekly" highlighted Gothel as "a firecracker" amidst an otherwise "sedate" cast. Joe Morgenstern of "The Wall Street Journal "wrote that "Donna Murphy does evil deliciously as the voice of Mother Gothel", while "Now"s Norman Wilner felt that the actress successfully "channelled" Broadway actress Patti LuPone in her performance.