In this case, less is much more. Like many successful comedies, The Impostors relies on a series of brief episodes strung together into a narrative. This is a risky structure, on which many ambitious films have stumbled. It requires that each episode be successful in itself, and that they build on each other. Pacing must be delicately handled, with pauses long enough to allow the audience to enjoy the jokes without milking them and fast enough to keep the audience rolling along without stepping on laugh lines or concerning themselves with issues of credibility.
Character is crucial.
What might seem mean-spirited or bitter coming from less innocent or helpless characters seems genuinely funny when it comes from the sympathetic underdogs. And the genuine kindness, loyalty and affection between them adds a warm emotional tone to the story. The interest of the minor characters makes another crucially important contribution. Tucci has peopled his story with a wealth of wonderfully idiosyncratic individuals. Both the sympathetic and antagonistic characters are drawn with a combination of delicacy and caricature that makes them more than mere padding.