Kevin Smith’s Cop Out has taken a critical beating. The film, which stars Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis as police officers on the hunt for a stolen vintage baseball card, has really not impressed reviewers.

The New York Times called it “a phoned-in, gutless piece of hack work that reminds you of other, better films in the same vein.” And the Globe and Mail said it is “neither funny nor involving” and that “Willis and Morgan make for a dull couple.” Ouch.

What’s a filmmaker to do? Hit back with tweets, of course.

Smith took to his Twitter account to defend his movie and berate critics. Contact Music pointed toward the posts from February 25, which read, “Here’s the thing… *inhales* I’ve made movies that have been panned before, by critics who are still working, and some who I’ve outlasted.

“I came from a world where critics could make or break you (Janet Maslin’s CLERKS review in the NY Times made me). That world’s long dead.

“A movie like COP OUT, while an easy target for critics, is clearly not intended to impress those prone to show off their cinema erudition.

“Critics can stab at COP OUT with their poison pens all they want, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s a funny flick.”

It remains to be seen whether the reviews will affect the box office. Cop Out opens this weekend (Friday, February 26).