There's not really anything on my planned site that would require a whole lot of customization but I'm looking for something that has built in functionality for forums, comments, reviews, a blog, a database that can queried by users, and some social networking features.
I have a decent amount of experience using python so I was thinking of using Django and also learning it in the process.  I realize though that this would be much more time consuming than using a CMS.
So, part of me is inclined to use a PHP based CMS like worpress or drupal.  I don't have any prior experience with PHP but since all the features I'm looking for are built in, do you think this would be my fastest route to get up and running?
Use a CMS, Drupal is very flexible and you can install another cms like vanilla for the forums  options with a plugin.
It's al you need. But if you want a full control of your site, use a framwork like Django and you get all. 
Remenber, the CMS is the fastest way to build a site.
Sorry for my english mistakes.
CMS or web framework a simple project