Tara Reid -- I Dig Elizabeth Banks ... No Clue Why She's Coming for My Neck

We don't wanna bury the lead here, so we'll just say it -- Tara Reid is gonna keep things classy ... when it comes to responding to Elizabeth Banks' huge unprovoked swipe at her career.

If ya missed it ... the "Pitch Perfect 2" star told The Hollywood Reporter, "I used to go to auditions with Tara Reid. So, you know we didn't all make it. We're not all still here."

Mind you ... Banks was not asked about Tara at all -- so no one was more shocked about the pot shot than Tara. She tells TMZ, "I've always been a fan of her work and that’s sad to hear she said those things about me."

Banks did go on to say ... "But I do love 'Sharknado.'"

Her attempted backstroke isn't fooling Tara, but she's still sticking to the high road. Tara says if she ran into E. Banks today she would "smile and say, hi."

Well played, Tara. "Sharknado 3" ... coming this summer!