Timberlake's acting debut panned by critics

American pop superstar Justin Timberlake has been derided by critics for his acting debut Edison, in which he plays a cub reporter exposing police corruption.

The film, which also features Hollywood heavyweights Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, has been panned by critics as "a star-studded dud of a B-picture".

The Hollywood Reporter singled out the Cry Me A River singer as "green but earnest" and attributed the whole cast with "enough posturing to start up a chiropractic clinic".

And Variety were quick to agree with their analysis, piling criticism on Timberlake's performance.

Their review of the film compared him to "a reporter from Seventeen magazine" while the film as a whole was dismissed as a "parade of cliches".