I mean, the white guy was the ignorant, bumbling, low-skilled simpleton, and the black guy was the erudite, talented, brave trailblazer. And the entire movie was about the struggles faced by black people in the wake of the civil rights era. At the end of the day, the white guy and the black guy both ended up learning unexpected lessons from one another. I get that that is classic oscar bait, but the "white savior" narrative I had seen hurled at the movie seems inapposite to me.