James Franco lashes out at theater critic

James Franco has lashed out at a New York Times theater critic after receiving a mixed review for his performance in Of Mice And Men.

The Spider-Man actor is currently starring in the stage adaptation of the 1937 John Steinbeck novel, opposite Chris O'Dowd and Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester and the production has won rave reviews from critics.

However, New York Times writer Ben Brantley wasn't too impressed with Franco, calling his performance "often understated to the point of near invisibility", and adding, "It's a tight, internal performance begging for a camera's close-up"

Brantley also questions the "affection between the characters", prompting Franco to take to his Instagram.com account to blast the critic.

In a message, which has since been deleted, he wrote, "Sadly Ben Brantley and the NYT have embarassed (sic) themselves. Brantley is such a little b**ch he should be working for Gawker.com instead of the paper of record. The theater community hates him."