The story of a clueless British detective determined to protect a priceless French diamond known as the Pink Panther, Pink Panther 2 is pretty much what you'd expect—goofy, simple, and relatively predictable. If Detective Clouseau (Steve Martin) were to join the cast of CSI or Law and Order, he would be fired within the show's first five minutes. If he were to treat women the way he does in the real world, he would be a hopeless bachelor up to his ears in sexual harassment suits. But although Detective Clouseau may miss every obvious piece of evidence, contaminate every crime scene he touches, become distracted by every woman who passes by, and fail to express his feelings (to the point of insult) to the only women he loves, in the end, he is the guy who solves the case and gets the girl.

Cue an hour and a half of goofy foreign accents, surprise kung fu assaults by small children, uncoordinated acrobatic explorations of country-side mansions, lessons on political and social correctness and their failed result, and an amusing scene involving Steve Martin dressed as the Pope. Intersperse little to no actual detective work, one false lead, and the primarily accidental discovery and confrontation of the true thief. End with a declaration of love, a wedding, and the SWAT-like Blackberry forces smashing in to crash the party. And you've pretty much got the whole movie.

But although Pink Panther 2 is ostensibly a caper film (and a ridiculous one at that), interestingly enough, its story actually revolves around love and relationship. With two beautiful ladies surrounded by a handful of eager men, let's just say the games are on from the get go. Will they get together or won't they? Will he admit he's in love with her already, or will he just continue to act like a bumbling fool trying to pretend he's not? Will she hold out for the man she loves, or will she simply settle for the one willing to step up to the plate?

More than a cutesy side story for the ladies, however, the theme of love's value and power is one that not only holds up the movie's subplot but also takes center stage in Pink Panther 2's primary plot. When the caper plot boils down, at its core is not as much conspiratorial genius as a lovers' quarrel gone wrong. While Clouseau and those around him may find it easier to relate to others through merely surface level flirtation, they reveal that it is only through authentic connections that they are able find the fulfillment they seek. When Clouseau's love for the Pink Panther diamond is pitted against its thief's mere desire for the diamond's monetary worth, it is Clouseau's love that holds the diamond tighter. While the expression of true love may require more risk and boldness than flirtation, true love proves that it will always triumph over even the greatest charm or misplaced desire. And in the end, it is not so much through his actual investigative abilities that Clouseau solves the case, but rather through his dedication to a job he loves so much that he picks up the one clue no one else ever would have found.

Although it was written long before the goofy Detective Clouseau and the iconic theme of his investigative escapades came into being, it is almost as if 1 Corinthians 13 is speaking about Clouseau himself: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away (1 Corinthians 1-3, 8).

At times Clouseau really might be best described as a nothing but a resounding gong. At no time would I say he even comes close to possessing the gift of prophecy or the ability to fathom any mystery. But giving every effort he has to the recovery of the diamond he loves and sacrificing his pride to express his true feelings to the woman he loves, in the end, his love triumphs over even his greatest critics, his smoothest competitors, and the craftiest thieves.