Hollywood funnyman Steve Martin has dismissed recent poor reviews of his latest Pink Panther movie - accusing film critics of "snobbery" when judging comedy films. Martin reprised his role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau for Pink Panther 2, but the new picture received a barrage of scathing write-ups from film journalists and took a disappointing $12 million in its opening weekend at the U.S. box office.

But Martin is adamant he doesn't take any notice of film critics, insisting they never give funny films a chance.

He says, "I have received bad reviews my whole life. I received bad reviews when I started with my stand-up act. The Jerk, one of my most enduring comedy films, was universally panned in America. And comedies always have to overcome critical snobbery. It's just the way it is. And so you go, oh, well, okay, why are these movies that you've criticized so archly still around 10 years later, 15 years later, 20 years later? It's because comedy is not a critics' medium. It just isn't."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)