American Beauty as the title is a play on Annette Bening's character Carolyn who obsessess about her roses which are "American Beauty Roses", a type of rose. Notice that all through the film there are vases stuffed with these roses and that the color red and the rose petals of Lester's lustful fantasies destroy the "flower-ness" of the American Beauty roses. Also remember that the theater poster says "look closer". Deflowering means destroying innocence. Take a lit class, pal.
Review of American Beauty
