If you're using Python and/or Django already and don't need to mix with other languages, Celery is pretty easy to work with, has excellent documentation, and is

If you're using Python and/or Django already and don't need to mix with other languages, Celery is pretty easy to work with, has excellent documentation, and is well-maintained. With that said, while there is no boundary to playing nice with other languages, it seems like only recently have people started to get serious about trying to do so with Celery (and sharing/supporting their work publicly). I haven't used Gearman personally, but if I had a polyglot project, I'd give it a serious look.