On a recent rain-soaked night, just hours after floodgates were closed along sections of the American River, actor Harry Shearer introduced his documentary, "The Big Uneasy" to a Crest Theatre audience.

His film investigates and challenges popular notions of why levees failed around New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. And in his "filmmaker's statement" about "The Big Uneasy," he warns, "What happened in New Orleans could happen in Sacramento."

Shearer lived in North Sacramento during the 1960s when he was a legislative intern at the Capitol, and is in town this weekend to promote his film.

He and Maria Garzino, a whistle-blower and member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers featured in the film, will appear at today's 5 p.m. screening at the Crest, with a question and answer session.

Shearer is known in the world of comedy for his voice work on "The Simpsons" and his role as a hirsute rock bassist in the "mockumentary" film "This is Spinal Tap."

But the tone in "The Big Uneasy" is serious – with its scathing critiques of the Corps and the organizational failures he believes contributed to failures in New Orleans' levee and flood wall systems.

At a Friday night screening of the film, Shearer told the audience: "Some filmmakers say, 'I hope you enjoy the movie,' but people who see this movie universally get mad. So, I hope this movie makes you mad."

In an earlier phone interview, he talked about the flood threat in Sacramento.

"What I do know is the Corps is concerned, to put it mildly," he said. "There are areas all over the country where this is happening in slow motion as opposed to what happened in New Orleans."

Shearer has lived part time in New Orleans since the late 1990s, and his home was spared during Hurricane Katrina. He insists the flooding following Hurricane Katrina was less a natural disaster than a byproduct of construction and organizational failures.

"The Big Uneasy" is less a human interest documentary, like Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," than a solid documentary with a few lighthearted touches.

"When you see the film, there are certain times when it's impossible not to laugh," Shearer said. "It's a laugh of sadness and disbelief, but it's laughter."

IF YOU GO

What: "The Big Uneasy"

Where: Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., Sacramento

When: For showtimes, call (916) 442-7378

Special event: Writer-director Harry Shearer will attend the Sunday 5 p.m. showing along with Maria Garzino, the whistle-blower in the film.

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Call The Bee's Chris Macias, (916) 321-1253.

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