<P> Chris Willman of Variety stated that, "Timberlake turned in a more enjoyably physical performance than just about anybody else who's done the Bowl show...and if it was more a feat of athleticism than aestheticism, you can't say that's entirely inappropriate for the occasion ." Willman also wrote that the show, "wasn't one for the ages, but was impressive as a show of athleticism" </P> <P> Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that Timberlake's performance was, "heavy on dance spectacle, light on vocal authority". Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called the show, "energetic, but also entirely lacking in live excitement ." Feinberg criticized the show for largely lacking spontaneity and live vocals . Feinberg wrote that Timberlake delivered, "one of the most over-planned, least surprising performances imaginable ." Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly graded Timberlake's performance a "C", calling it, "dutiful, and empty". Franich faulted Timberlake for playing too safe with his performance . Similarly, Fran Guan of Vulture.com wrote, "Technically speaking, Timberlake's set was a testament to precision". Guan, however, criticized Timberlake's performance from lacking in personality, and regarded his performance as unmemorable . </P> <P> The Guardian gave Timberlake 3 out of 5 stars, calling his performance forgettable but flashy . In an interview with NPR, Ann Powers said that "the entire performance was shrouded in the sense of Timberlake not being right for this moment--and the Janet Jackson controversy haunted it ." Daniel D'Addarrio of Time.com gave the performance a negative review, criticizing Timberlake for singing Cry Me A River in addition to Rock Your Body, calling the song's lyrics about an evil promiscuous woman out of step with the national mood, and said that the only message from Timberlake's performance was that he loves his back catalog Deadline felt "but you could see the motions more than you felt the music ." Chris Richards of The Washington Post regarded Timberlake's performance as, "unambiguously underwhelming". </P> <P> USA Today and Vulture compared Timberlake's performance unfavorably to Prince's own 2007 halftime show . Amanda Petrusich of The New Yorker wrote that Timberlake's decision to omit the end of "Rock Your Body" (which was performed during the controversial 2004 halftime) felt, "less like an apology than yet more spineless deflection". However, Andrew Unterberge of Billboard considered Timberlake's decision to cut the song short to be wise . Timberlake's Stella McCartney - designed outfit received negative reviews, with some critics regarding it as "tacky". The LA Times also gave a very critical review, one which also stated that Timberlake had nothing to say in his performance, and said that it lacked soul and meaning . The Digital Journal gave him 2 / 5 stars and called it lackluster . </P>

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